Wrong place, wrong time
by Leserei
Summary: How could she be involved in such a mystery, because for once Stephanie wasn't looking for trouble it found her when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

SPOV

"Name"  
"What?"  
"What is your name?"  
"Stephanie Plum"  
"Occupation?"  
"Why do . ."  
"What's your job?"  
"Apprehension Agent"

To say I was confused was an understatement.  
"Who are . .?"  
"Miss Plum, we are the ones asking the questions, you need to answer them"

"But?"

"Do you live alone?"  
"Yes, except for Rex"

"Who's Rex?"  
"My hamster"

"Who is your current boyfriend?"  
"No one"  
"Why were you at the train station last Tuesday morning?"  
"Eula, I needed to take Eula in"  
"Whose Eula?"  
"An FTA, she's an old lady who spends her days there"  
"Then why did you purchase a key for a locker?"  
"To keep her things safe for when she came back"  
"Is that something within your job remit?"  
"Well not exactly, but she"  
"Miss Plum why were you at the Investors Bank on Hamilton Avenue on Tuesday afternoon?"  
"To pay my cheque in"  
"Is that the bank you normally use?"  
"Yes"  
"On Wednesday afternoon you were seen at the Mall, what was your business there?"  
"Shopping, I went with a friend because she"  
"And Stivas on Thursday night?"

"I took my Grandma"  
"Why, who was she there for?"

"I think she went in to see Mrs. King but ended up looking in on Jimmy Colowski"  
"You don't know?"  
"No, she meets her friends there and"  
"The nightclub Rho Waterfront, why were you there Friday night?"  
"What the hell do you?"  
"Just answer the question Miss Plum"  
"A girls night out, I went with three other women"  
"Whose idea was it to go there?"  
"Err, Lula's I think"

"And Point Pleasant on Sunday?"  
"I was there with my best friend, it was her birthday"  
"Your car was parked on Stark Street Monday morning, why?"  
"I was trying to get a line on a skip"  
"For three hours?"  
"Yes"

"Is McManimons bar where you normally go?"

"No, I was trying to find"

"And today when we picked you up outside of a warehouse on Hobsons Avenue?"

"Skip, I followed him there"  
"Who were you following?"  
"Casper Huntington"  
"Why?"  
"He missed his court date"  
"What is he charged with?"

"Illegal possession of a fire arm"

"So Tuesday evening, were you watching his house?"  
"Err, maybe"

"I think we have enough"  
"Enough for what?"  
The man who had been questioning me stood up from his chair and took out his phone, talking loudly enough for me to hear his side of the conversation.

"You and your partner take her to the safe house"  
"Yes, you'll need to do that"  
"She's ready now"  
Safe house! They can't do that; I don't even know what the hell is going on. How do they have the right to do that? I won't even let Ranger put me in a safe house and I know why he suggests it.

"Excuse me, but why?"  
"Miss Plum I would appreciate it if you would just cooperate"  
"But you have to tell me something"  
"No I don't"  
He turned at the knock on the door and unlocked it allowing two men to enter, shit they looked like they meant business, both of them in creased black suits and white shirts, they even had matching red silk ties. I really didn't like the feel of this and I knew I was beginning to panic, as they stepped towards me I instinctively stepped back. One of them made to get hold of my wrist but I quickly pulled it out of his reach. That was a mistake because he moved up closer, holding the top of my arm in a vice like grip and then slipped a cuff around my wrist fastening the other cuff around his own.

The man who had questioned me watched all this while he collected papers from the desk and put them in to a file.

"Miss Plum if you don't cooperate quietly then we'll resort to other means, and be assured you won't like it"  
"I want to know what's going on?"

Was I shouting? Probably, but there was no way were they taking me anywhere.  
He nodded his head at the second man in the suit who walked up behind me, I didn't see it coming, I just never thought they would do anything, because the next thing I knew I felt a prick in my arm by my shoulder, and when I turned I saw him holding a syringe and that was the last thing I remembered.

I felt groggy and a bit nauseous, I knew I was laid down, but for the life of me I couldn't remember how I got here. In fact I had no idea where I was, the last thing I did remember clearly was being questioned by that man in a room, and then those two men in black suits coming in. I slowly opened my eyes fearing the worst, dreading where I might have been taken, and was surprised that I was in what appeared to be a lounge area. I slowly sat up to take in my surroundings noticing that I'd been laid out on a comfy brown couch. The room had one door opposite a large window with brown drapes. The décor looked clean and in fact the room seemed to me to be well looked after, a TV sat in the corner, a coffee table in front of me and there were two chairs that matched the couch with cushions on them. There were even pictures on the walls and a long tall bookcase full of books but looking around I also noticed a camera in the corner of the room above one of the doors. I tensed as I heard the door open and the man who had first questioned me came into the room going to one of the chairs to sit down. He crossed one leg over his knee and placed his arms on the armrests.

"Miss Plum I'm sorry we had to resort to drugging you but we needed to move you quickly"

"Who are you?"  
"Special Agent Stretch"  
"So why am I here?"  
"Witness protection"  
"But I haven't witnessed anything"  
"Ah, but you have Miss Plum, so we need to keep you here where it's safe"  
"How am I supposed to know what I witnessed?"  
"When the time is right someone will take a very detailed statement from you, where you were, who you saw, what you saw and what you heard"  
"When?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"When will that happen?"  
"I don't know. My job is to ensure that you are kept safe here"  
"So you're keeping me prisoner?"  
"We don't call it that"  
"What do you call it then?"  
"Special protection"  
"So I can go out?"  
"Not beyond the walls that surround this house"

"What about my friends and family, they'll worry about me"  
"We've let people know that you've gone on vacation"  
"Like they'll believe that"

"Miss Plum if you leave here then there's a high probability that you'll get hurt or worse"

"Why would that happen?"  
"There's a contract out on you"  
"Oh"

"Miss Plum I know something of you and your reputation so let me explain to you what procedures are in place. There are cameras in every room, except the one where you'll sleep, cameras watching the perimeter along with motion and infrared detectors. Two men patrol the grounds and at night we have dogs to help. Look on your ankle"  
I looked down at my ankles and on my right ankle was a thick blue plastic band with a square device attached at the side, I bent down to touch it, suddenly wanting it off.

"Miss Plum that is an electronic tagging device so that we know exactly where you are, if you tamper with it or try to remove it, then it sends out an alert"

"You mean like the ones they put on felons?"  
"Exactly"

"What am I supposed to do here?"  
"Relax, read a book"  
Yeah right, I was going to go nuts with this setup, how the hell was I going to cope? I was already feeling paranoid. How the hell did I get into this mess, I mean all I've done all week is try to get my skips back into the system. I didn't know whether to feel glad that I was in a safe place or pissed off because of how it had been done. For the moment I was going with pissed off.

"Miss Plum shall I show you around the house?"  
I stood up and started to walk toward the door, surprised that it was unlocked, but not surprised when Stretch stood up and followed me. I found myself in large hallway that had three doors leading from it and a door that looked to be the way out of the house. Stretch pointed to the door nearest to the entrance.

"You're not allowed in through there, that's where the men work from. That door is where your sleeping quarters are"  
I opened that door and walked into a large bedroom, again it was nicely furnished. A large bed with bedside tables and lamps and a red throw that matched the drapes, a door led into a bathroom that had a shower, tub, toilet and sink, all white set against a pale blue tile and blue carpet on the floor. I noticed the shelves had shampoo and shower and bath gel along with lotions and creams and a hairbrush. Towels were folded neatly over a rail and there was even a hairdryer. I came out from the bathroom and opened the door of a closet, surprised to see an array of clothing.

"Everything you need is here, if there's something missing then I'll arrange to get it for you"  
I turned and left the bedroom returning to the hall and walked through the third door, into a large kitchen with a table and chairs arranged in the center. It was very modern with a red tiled floor and matching worktop set onto white cabinets.

"What happens about meals?"  
"We have a company that delivers, if you tell me what preferences you have then I'll do my best to accommodate them"  
Another door opened onto the back yard that I must admit held the most interest for me, maybe I could work out where we were. I looked around trying to see something familiar but felt a pang of disappointment because all I could see beyond a very high wall were trees. I ventured further out and saw some chairs and a table and even a hammock slung between two tree trunks. The area directly by the house had paving slabs that led to a large grassy area. I felt so trapped and frustrated and knew that I needed to know more but first I needed to sort through my memories and try to work out what the hell I could possibly have seen.

"Miss Plum, it's getting late, you must be hungry, let's go have something to eat"  
I followed him back into the kitchen and sat at the table watching as he removed a tray of lasagne from the fridge and placed it in the microwave. As it heated up he opened cupboards and drawers laying two places at the table then as the microwave pinged brought out the lasagne and served it onto two plates. For once in my life the idea of eating was the last thing I wanted to do, I played with my food on the plate, moving it around and taking an occasional mouthful. It tasted all right but not exceptional, obviously Stretch enjoyed it because he soon cleared his plate.

"You're not eating Miss Plum?"  
"I don't feel hungry, in fact I still feel a bit woozy from whatever you injected me with, I'm gonna head to my room"

"As you wish"  
He watched me get up and leave the kitchen but didn't follow, no doubt someone was watching through those dam cameras. As soon as the bedroom door closed behind me I felt tears come to my eyes and moved to lie down on the bed where I cried so much I fell into an exhausted sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My eyes opened to light coming in through a window that caused me to frown, my window didn't let direct sunlight in, but it was the sound of birds from outside that really threw me. I felt totally disorientated, not recognizing the color of the walls and come to think of it where I was laying wasn't as comfortable as my bed. I slowly sat up realizing I was still dressed in my T-shirt and jeans and then saw the band around my ankle. Feelings of frustration and anger came flooding back into my head as well as the memories from the previous day. I stumbled into the bathroom to use the toilet and sink groaning when I saw the state of my hair and face. I looked as bad as I felt and really needed a shower. As the water heated up I undressed and looked down at the bracelet wondering if I could get it off without sending out an alarm, it was tight to my skin and to be honest was causing the skin to go red with the irritation from it and my ankle was beginning to swell a bit. I went to take my watch off and discovered it was missing along with any jewelry I'd been wearing, now they'd gone too far, those earrings were a gift from Ranger and I only changed them when I was going out somewhere special. Soaping up a sponge I washed myself and then tried to soap under the bracelet, it wouldn't budge and the more I tried to move it the more my ankle swelled. With a towel round my body and one round my head I went to the closet to find something to wear, as I moved them apart I had weird feeling that some of the clothes looked like mine and holding them to my nose smelt like mine as well. Once dressed and with my hair finger combed and tied back in a ponytail I emerged into the hallway. It was eerie, there was no noise coming from anywhere. As I entered the kitchen I saw Stretch sat at the table reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.

"Good morning Miss Plum what would you like for breakfast?"  
I couldn't cope with the normality of his question when absolutely nothing was normal, my eyes watered and tears fell down my cheek.

"What's wrong Miss Plum?  
I lifted my leg and placed my foot on the chair next to him.

"Look at my ankle, it's too tight, my ankle's swollen and sore"  
"Oh dear, we need to sort that out"  
"Yes you do"  
"It must be one of the smaller ones because it won't go any bigger. Give me an hour to get a new one and then I'll swap it out"  
He put the paper on the table and left me alone in the kitchen trying to decide what to do next. I found a bowl, cereals and milk and then poured out a coffee into a mug, the milk and sugar were already out on the table. As I sat down I noticed the newspaper folded up on the table next to me and couldn't help but read the name of the paper but picked it up just to make sure I'd read it correctly. The New York Daily News was what had my attention, was I in New York? It had todays date at the top and reports of local sports fixtures, shit, why New York and how was I supposed to get home? First things first I really needed to get my head around what I may have seen during the last week, I mean that would help whoever was going to come and question me but I felt I needed to write everything down, that way I could add detail to it and if I remembered something then I could add it. I placed my half eaten cereal and mug by the sink, no way was I washing things up, someone else could do it. In the lounge I started to look for a pen and paper but wasn't having much success, I didn't want to tell Stretch what I was planning on doing and I really didn't know why. Back in the kitchen I found a pen in one of the drawers but no paper, shit what could I use? Maybe there was something in the bookcase. Back in the lounge I ran my finger across the spines of the books, weird because most of them were Science fiction novels, not one book would have appealed to me. There was one poetry book that seemed quite thick written by someone called Stanley Kunitz so I took it down and began to flick through the pages realizing that the reason it was so thick was because there was only print on one side of a page. Could I write in someone else's book, I mean it was something I would never dream of doing, it seemed rude to defile the pages of a printed book, but the more I thought about it the more it seemed like a good idea. I took another book from the case and with both books in my hand went into my bedroom, according to Stretch there were no cameras in here but I spent the next 20 minutes making sure he hadn't lied to me. Once satisfied I opened the poetry book half way through and at the top of the page wrote down the day, Tuesday and underlined it, I needed to remember everything that had happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tuesday

It was a beautiful day when I'd woken up and I felt like it would be a good day today, it was still early, well early for me, so I had lots of time to shower and get ready so decided to go for the whole body treatment. I scrubbed shaved and moisturized then added a new leave in conditioner to my hair, it smelt wonderful, like fresh jasmine. I dressed in a clean pair of black denim trousers and a thin cream long sleeved sweater and was just fastening up my cat boots when I was sure I heard my entrance door open. Strange because I wasn't expecting anyone, I knew Joe still had a key but I'd met up with him the night before at Pinos and whilst we hadn't fallen out exactly, arguing or shouting, we hadn't really been seeing each other and to be honest I was alright with that and had told him so, he just seemed to think we were on an off phase and that we'd bounce back together. I'd agreed to meet up with him, emphasizing that seeing him was totally platonic but the conversation had been really strange and what I discovered afterwards really pissed me off. No it wouldn't be Joe, he wouldn't dare, and anyway I knew he was going away. My mind went back to the previous evenings meeting.

"Cupcake I'm going out of town for awhile"

"Okay, make sure you stay safe"  
"I will and when I get back we can have a serious talk"  
"Oh yeah, what about?"  
"Us, and how we can make it work"  
"Joe I don't feel it could work, I'm not sure I want what you do"  
"Of course you do"

I needed to change the subject because to be honest he wasn't listening to what I was saying.  
"How long are you away for Joe?"  
"A couple of weeks"  
"Is it work?"  
"Yeah, it's something to do with the case I'm working"  
"Okay"  
"The thing is Cupcake I don't want you to worry"  
"Why would I worry?"  
"Well it's not the usual undercover job that I do"  
"So what is it?"  
"Just being in the right place at the right time so I can get information"  
"Isn't that dangerous?"  
"Nah, it's what I do"  
"So when are you going?"  
"Very early in the morning so I'll have to pack after we leave here"  
That was strange because in the past even if he was leaving early on a job he'd usually try to get me into bed before he left, even if we were on an off phase. Maybe he was worried, yeah that was it, he did take his job seriously and probably needed to be sure he was well prepared.

After we finished our meal and were leaving he didn't even escort me to my car like he usually would, instead he went straight to his car and drove off. That bothered me, I don't know why, maybe it was his whole demeanor tonight but for some strange reason I decided to follow him back to his house, parking further up the street out of sight but where I could get a glimpse of his front door. I saw lights go off in the house, one by one, and then as he opened the front door to leave a bright red new BMW pulled to a stop in front of the house. I couldn't believe my eyes when he opened the passenger door and the interior light came on, because driving the car was none other than Terry Gilman. He placed a suitcase on the back seat and after getting in the car leaned over and gave her a long kiss. Thoughts came into my head of just ramming my car into hers but then decided that maybe this was meant to be, the end of this relationship that never really went anywhere. It was weird really because yes I was mad at how he'd lied to me, why couldn't he just tell me the truth? Then as I thought about it all those little signs that I'd thought of as not important suddenly became important. Him calling to cancel on coming over to mine and him being too tired and leaving early, the times he got a call and had to leave because of work, but what I should have acted on was the slight smell of perfume, not mine, that seemed to linger around him and in his house. Was I upset? Not really, maybe this was what I was waiting for, an excuse to totally finish with him without all the shouting and arguments. I did message him wishing him a nice holiday with Terry to which he responded with his usual excuse" It's not what you think" Yeah right, but you know I was more annoyed than sad, I mean I always thought he was seeing her at the same time as me, I just wished he'd been honest with me. I made sure to call Mary Lou when I got back home, knowing that his indiscretions would soon be the talk of the Burg. So as I sat on the side of the bed I knew of only one other person who could be coming through the door.

"Babe I didn't think you'd be up so early"  
"Hi Ranger, yeah lots to do today"  
"You seem in a good mood"  
"I am, what you doing here anyway?"  
"Santos and I have to go down to Miami, a high bond skip turned up there"  
Now that was strange because normally he'd just tell me he'd be out of town for a while, he never gave me details.

"Are you still doing a of couple mornings for Rangeman?"  
"Yes, I said I would so I will"  
"Okay, if you need any help talk to Tank"  
"Will do"  
"Don't go crazy"  
"Don't get shot"

By then he'd walked over to the bed and pulled me up onto my feet folding his arms around my body and teasing my lips apart. I'm sure I moaned at the sensations running through me and definitely got lost in the moment. As he pulled away I sank back down onto the bed feeling him kiss the top of my head, and then he was gone. You see I could definitely call Ranger my best friend, I trusted him more than anyone else except when it came to my heart. I'd allowed us to be lovers but it came at a cost knowing that I loved him when he had clearly told me he didn't do relationships. I know I should have backed away when he said that but he was like a drug to me and I needed what ever he would give of himself.

I drove to the Bonds Office and parked down the street for once glad not to see Lula's Firebird it was probably too early for her anyway but I felt in a good mood this morning and didn't want Lula having a go at me over Morelli.

"Morning Steph, you're early"  
"Hi Connie, any files for me?"  
"Two one easy and one unknown"  
"Okay what's the easy one?"  
"Eula, she got caught shop lifting"  
"That's not like her"  
"No, but the soup kitchen she usually goes to shut down so maybe she was desperate"

"Maybe, I'll take hers and then pick up the other this afternoon"  
"So are you really okay?"  
"Sorry?"  
"Well word out is that Morelli has gone away with Terry"  
"I decided they deserve each other"  
"So you already knew?"  
"Yeah, and to be honest Connie I'd already decided that we just weren't going to last, I think I knew what was going on behind my back but I just tried to ignore all the signs and believe Morelli and his explanations"  
"Good for you Steph, you deserve better than someone who's always cheating on you"

Interesting that Connie said he was always cheating on me, how was I so naive not to see it, or maybe I did and chose to ignore it. I signed the paper and handed it back to Connie then with the file in my hand went back to my car. I didn't need to do any research on Eula to know where she'd be, we'd done this so many times before and I think we had an understanding. I found a space to park my car, it was too much of a wreck to worry that anything would happen to it and then went across the road to the bakery and bought a couple of sandwiches, two pieces of cake and a soda. With the paper bag in my hand I then went to the lockers and placed the necessary coins in the slot to retrieve the key. I found Eula sat on her usual bench watching the world go by and sat next to her without saying a word. After a couple of minutes she looked over and smiled.

"How you doing dearie?"  
"Good Eula, here why don't you eat this while I put your things in the locker?"  
"Sounds okay to me"

"What's got your interest Eula?"

"You see those two men over there, I've been watching them, they don't half fancy themselves"  
I looked over to where she meant and saw two men, maybe older than me both lent with their shoulders against the wall. They were both looking in the same direction and looked so serious and to some extent yes they had a stance about them that said how important they were and that they shouldn't be here. They both had on long tailored coats with black shoes showing black trousers underneath. As one looked our way I turned to face Eula.

"So who do you think they are?"  
"Wannabes"

"Oh?"  
"They want to be seen as someone they're not"  
"You're good at working out people aren't you?"  
"Aint got nothing else to do"  
"I'll go put your bags in the locker then"  
"I'll be here"  
I carried the two cloth shopping bags over to the locker, putting them down as I got out the key to open the door then bent down to pick them up. Once I had managed to push them inside I closed the door and came face to face with one of the men. He was just closing the door next to mine so I did what I always do; I smiled at him then turned and walked back to Eula. It didn't take long before I was bringing Eula back to her bench. Connie had met us at the station and rebonded her out making the whole process go smoothly. As I walked across the cold concrete back to the benchI noticed the two men were waiting at one of the barriers, they were obviously waiting for someone to get off a train. I made sure Eula was settled back on her seat and then went to get her bags back to her. At the locker I struggled to get Eula's bags out without losing any of the contents and again when I closed the door there was a man opening the one next to me, but this time it was a different man, he was a lot older than me dressed in jeans and a jacket with dirty blonde hair that touched the collar of his coat. He looked so serious as he stood looking inside the locker. I turned away from him, not feeling comfortable as though I shouldn't be there. I returned the bags to Eula who was still sat on her bench.

"Those men have gone now, they handed something to a man who got off a train, good looker who had a real swagger to his walk and obviously said something they didn't like because they just stared after him and then gave each other a look before they turned and walked out"  
"You could write a book Eula of all the things you see"  
"Nah, there are things I see that no one would be pleased I'd seen"  
"I suppose, you gonna be all right?"  
"Yes, off you go dearie and I'll see you next time"

As I walked back to my car I took off my jacket and put it to my nose, how was it that the smell from Eula always seemed to cling to me? I drove with the windows open back to the Bonds Office trying to get the smell out of my car telling myself to remember to buy an air freshener. Connie already had my cheque waiting for me as I walked in and Lula was sprawled out on the couch and looked over.  
"Eula?"  
"Yeah, but at least she doesn't cause any problems"

"No way would I let her in my car, I'd never get rid of the smell"  
"She can't help it"  
"She could get a job"  
I really didn't want to get involved in that conversation with Lula so turned back to Connie.  
"The other file Connie?"

"Here, he's a bit of a weird one, I'm not sure why Vinnie bonded him out"  
"What'd he do?"  
"Walked into a ladies rest room and exposed himself"  
"Okay and?"  
"He was dressed in womens clothes"  
"I can see that being a problem, I mean he couldn't really walk into the men's room either"

"Yeah but he just stood at the sink and yanked it out and peed in the sink"  
"Ewww, gross"

"Okay let's see if we can find him"  
"We taking your car Lula?"  
"Well I aint riding in your heap of junk"

"See you later Connie"

As Lula started the car I noticed I still had the cheque Connie had given to me for Eula, my rent was due soon and this would help cover that cost.

"Lula can we go to my bank first, I need to pay this cheque in"  
"Sure"

It was on Hamilton Avenue so not out of the way but I must admit I wasn't sure where Lula thought she was going, I mean she hadn't asked or looked at the file for an address. As soon as we came to a stop I hauled myself out of the car and ran into the bank, praying that there wasn't a long queue. I breathed out a sigh of relief when there was only one person in there and they were being seen to. I stood quietly, not too close waiting for my turn so imagine my surprise when the blonde guy I'd seen at the train station turned around and walked past me. It's a small world when that happens.

"Hi Noreen, how's it going?"  
"Oh Stephanie I am so sorry"  
"Why?"  
"I heard about what happened"  
"You gonna let me in?"  
"Morelli and that Gilman woman"  
"Oh that"  
"You're not upset?"  
"No, she's welcome to him"  
"Oh, good for you and don't you be getting back with him, he's not good enough for you"  
"I'll be sure not to "  
All through the conversation Noreen was processing my cheque and as she finished talking handed me a receipt I turned and walked out of the door keen to know where Lula thought we should go.  
"That were quick for you"  
"Yeah, so Lula where are you driving to?"  
"That new bar down on Slater Street"  
"Why there?"

"It's the place to be for men who dress up as women"  
"Oh"  
I opened the file and read through the information, the person we were after called himself Clarissa though he was really Clarence Duke and he lived with his sister who was the one to put up the bond, well at least if he wasn't at this bar we could try the sister.

"Lula how are we going to get him out?"  
"Easy"  
"No guns Lula"  
"Nah you just sweet talk him outta there"  
I really didn't think I wanted to know how she thought I could do that, but hey, I was open to suggestions. She parked down the road from the bar and then turned to me.

"Lose the ponytail and fluff up your hair"  
"Why?"  
"You need to look more done up, here try this lipstick"  
I pulled down the visor to see myself in the mirror and carefully applied the bright red lipstick and fluffed up my hair. We got out of the car at the same time and I followed Lula down the street, it had been a long time since I'd seen Lula strut her stuff and boy was she strutting. Her Lycra skirt was barely able to hold in the motion of her hips and I could see her top sliding down even though I was behind her. As we reached the door to the bar she hoisted her girls back in and slammed the door open causing everyone inside to turn and look at her. All I could think was thank heavens for that because it meant I could literally sneak in without anyone noticing me. I spied Clarence sat in a booth all by himself and slid into the seat next to him, it was a good job the photo from the file had him as Clarissa because he was still wearing the same wig of straight black hair down to his shoulders and makeup that made mine look amateurish.

"How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?"  
I followed his gaze toward Lula who by now was in full flow, flirting with everyone at the bar.

"Why don't we leave while we can?"  
"Yeah you're right, maybe I'm not cut out to be a woman"  
"Why would you even try?"  
"Women seem to have more fun"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, I mean you call the shots"  
"Is that what you think?"  
"You saying something different?"  
"Yeah, I mean it seems the men get the women to chase them"  
"Nah, you're too pretty for that to happen"  
"Tell that to my ex who's on holiday with another woman"  
"Shit that's bad"

"Clarence if they don't like who you are then they aren't worth the trouble"

That hit me as I thought about Morelli and me, he was always trying to change me, my job, my hair and even how I dressed, maybe we were never meant to be together.  
"Come on Clarence let's get out of here"  
I walked out with Clarence and waited for Lula, I felt awful that I was going to be taking him in to the police station. When Lula eventually emerged I heard Clarence groan, and then he started to stare at me.

"Shit you're that Bounty Hunter aren't you?"  
"Sorry, but yeah I need to take you to the station so you can get rebonded"  
"Might as well get it over with then"  
He climbed into the back seat and took off the long black wig, I passed him some face wipes to clean off the makeup so by the time we reached the station he was definitely Clarence. Lula did a double take and looked him up and down, no way was she going to start getting fresh with my skip.

"Lula!"  
"Okay, okay. Hey Clarence why don't you come out with us on Friday?"  
"Where to?"  
"Rho Waterfront, I hear it's the place to be seen, and I wouldn't mind been seen with you"  
He smiled as he thought it through and to be honest he wasn't a bad looking guy, a bit on the short side for me and well he just didn't have the body I yearned for. I helped him from the back seat and we walked into the station together.

"Will you go as well?"  
"Why not, we could have fun"

"What do I call you?"  
"Steph, shall I pick you up from your sisters?"  
"Yeah that would be great"  
By the time Lula dropped me off in front of the Bonds Office Connie had closed up so I headed for home, I'd had a good day today, no food or garbage and for once I was going home clean. Once in I fed Rex and talked to him, though he did as he always did, ran out of his soup can stuffed his face with the carrot and then disappeared. I had a nice quiet evening by my self, flipping through channels on the TV and since I'd got up so early was ready for bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Looking at the clock by the bed I'd been writing for two hours and suddenly realized that Stretch wasn't back, did that mean I was stuck with this dam thing on my leg? Now that I looked down at it I realized that my ankle was sore, he had to take it off or I'd find a knife and do it myself. I closed my book with the pen inside and looked round for somewhere to hide it. I assumed someone would come in and clean at some stage, or change the sheets and towels so it needed to be somewhere safe. In the end I put it in the drawer with my underwear and just hoped no one would rifle through there. I limped to the bedroom door and made for the kitchen just as the front door opened and Stretch walked in.

"Sorry Miss Plum, I had trouble getting a replacement"  
I went into the lounge and sat on the couch waiting for him to follow me.

"Put your foot on the table"  
I did as he asked and pulled up my jeans for him to get access to my ankle.

"It looks red and swollen, I'm sorry, you must have reacted to the plastic"  
"Please just get it off"  
He took a key from his pocket and twisted it inside the box section enabling the band to be released. The relief was instant as I bent over and rubbed where it had been, not only was my ankle red and swollen but the skin looked blistered.

"I've never seen that happen before"  
"Can you maybe put a bandage round my ankle to stop the band reaching my skin? Or better yet don't put one on"

"Sorry, I agree with the bandage though"  
He left the room leaving both the old and the new bracelet sat on the table each with their key in the box. I wonder? I took the key from the old one and put it in the box of the new one and then placed the new key in my pocket, if I couldn't get him to remove the dam thing then maybe I could take it off myself, but I would need to choose my time very carefully. When he came back in the room I was leaning back against the cushion and sat up slowly putting my foot on the table again. He carefully rolled a bandage round my ankle, then taking the key out first he fastened the new bracelet in place but this time he made sure it was loose. The key went into his pocket and as he stood I followed him into the kitchen where I watched as the old bracelet went into the bin, he hadn't even noticed the key was missing.

"So when's someone arriving?"  
"Arriving?"  
"You said someone was coming to talk with me"  
"Oh I don't know, you'll just have to wait won't you"  
I left the room and returned with the science fiction book, maybe now would be a good time to take a look outside and see if I could work out just how many men were around.

It was bright and sunny outside, even warm, considering we were moving into Autumn I saw that as a good sign and went over to the hammock. Once settled, because let's face it they aren't easy to get into, I opened the book and pretended to read as I looked around. It wasn't a huge back yard, maybe only 50 feet wide and long but the wall that surrounded it was huge, I wasn't sure if I could climb over it. The wall came into the side of the house and the side I was looking at didn't have a gate, I needed to see what was at the other side. I closed the book and with some trouble got onto my feet, shit my ankle was really hurting now, so then hobbled around the perimeter of the wall. The other side of the house was exactly the same, there was no way out from the backyard and as I'd noted that my bedroom window was onto the garden that seemed like it wasn't going to be a route of escape. The problem I was having was trying to figure out why I would want to escape, I mean obviously I'd upset someone by where I'd been or maybe seen but was that enough for them to put out a contract on me, but I'm not the type of person to just sit and do nothing, I wanted to find out what the hell was going on. I wondered if anyone had missed me? Morelli was with his other woman so he wouldn't; my parents were down south at that family wedding so they wouldn't. Maybe Mary Lou would but not for a while, we could go weeks without talking and I'd only seen her on Sunday. Connie and Lula, maybe, but if they thought I'd gone with my parents maybe not. Ranger, would he know I wasn't home? I mean he had called a couple of times but maybe he'd just think my phone was broken again. Tank he usually made me keep him up to date with what I was doing, especially when Ranger was away, maybe he'd miss me.

"Miss Plum"  
I turned at the sound of the voice and saw Stretch walking over to me.

"What are you doing?"  
"I ached with being sat so long"  
"You must have done 10 circuits of the yard"  
"I was lost in thought"  
"I have some sandwiches for you in the kitchen"  
I followed him inside and sat at the kitchen table, the sandwiches were pre prepared from a grocery store and to be honest weren't very nice. Cheese and salad wasn't my idea of a sandwich, hell even Ella's healthy ones tasted better than these. I only ate one and washed it down with some water and then made to get up.

"I'm going for a rest"  
"How's the ankle?"  
"Sore"

Once back in the bedroom I retrieved my poetry book and pen and lent against the headboard then continued with my memories, the next day to write about was Wednesday.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Wednesday

It was the sound of my phone that woke me from a deep sleep and looking at my watch I realized it was only 7 in the morning, who the hell was calling me at this hour? I was still half asleep and on my back as I answered.

"Hello?"

"Did I wake you?"  
I'm sure my eyes popped wide open, Ranger? He never calls when he's away.

"What's wrong?"  
I heard him laugh down the phone and then tried to picture where he might be.

"Nothing, just called to see how your day went"  
"It went well, I took Eula in and then Clarence who thought he would be better off as Clarissa"

"No problems then?"  
"Nah, he's going out with us at the weekend"  
"Only you Babe"  
"Well he seemed a little lost"  
"Tank called asking when you were normally in"  
"Why didn't he just call me?"  
"He didn't want to risk waking you up"  
"Coward"

"I said I'd call instead"

"Does he need something doing?"  
"Some big client called and though we like the extra work it brings Tank wants to be sure he's what he says he is"

"Okay, no problem, I'll go in this morning, You found your skip?"  
"We've pinned him down to Friday night when he visits his girlfriend"

"Have you seen Julie yet?"  
"I'm taking her out for the day tomorrow"  
"Send my love will you and tell her I'll catch up with her next week"  
"You two still email?"  
"No, we use Whatsapp"  
"Okay, I'll see you when I get back"  
I was left looking at my phone, that was the longest phone conversation I'd had with Ranger and what did he mean he'd see me when he got back? He never said that, or was it just a phrase that he'd used. I mustn't read too much into that. I dressed in black jeans and a Rangeman T-shirt, taking a spare in my bag, I needed to call in at the office and drop my receipt off with Connie and see if there were any new files. I surprised myself when I arrived at Rangeman by 8, usually I was later than that, dam Ranger for waking me up, but then maybe not. I really did miss not having him around but I didn't miss the sexual tension that was creeping between us. I waved at the camera in the corner of the garage and walked up the stairs to five, yeah I know me on the stairs, but maybe I wanted to get rid of some of the pent up energy I'd felt since Ranger's call. Tank looked from the lift door to me when I came through the door.

"You feeling okay Little Girl?"  
"Funny. Ranger said you needed a search doing?"  
"Yeah, I'll get the file and bring it to you"  
I went to my cubbie and turned on the computer setting my bag on the floor and then after logging in opened the search program. Tank held a file for me and then disappeared, typical, he wasn't going to tell me anything else. I input the name of the man into the search, Michael Colstaro, and hit the button to start the program and then looked at the rest of the information in the file. According to the information Tank had this man owned a high tech company and was opening a factory here in Trenton. I couldn't find where the original company was, strange because normally Tank is anal about details like that. The company was called Star Technologies so that went into the search as well. As they would be a while running I went to the break room to investigate what was in the fridge choosing some yoghurt, a bagel and creamed cheese and making a coffee. I'd just added the sugar from my hidden stash when Hector walked in followed by Cal.

"Morning Steph, you're in early"  
"Morning Cal. Tank wanted a search doing so here I am"  
"All okay Estefania?"  
"Yes, thank you, Hector"

Now don't get me wrong I like Hector but he isn't the easiest guy to get to know, especially as he tends to speak in Spanish, though I'm sure he does that on purpose, I think his English is actually quite good, but for some reason we were actually beginning to be friends, well as much as he would allow. I returned to my computer with my breakfast treats, I knew Ranger hated it that I had food when I worked, but I work better when I'm eating. The search on Colstaro finished so I sent that to the printer and was surprised when the other one finished as well. Hal and Vince were on monitor duty so I went through on my way to say hello.

"How are my two favorite guys?"  
"Tired but much better for seeing you"  
"You finishing soon then?"  
"Nah, we're short staffed, Miguel has the flu and Hal is on a day off. The rest are either out on patrol or doing installs"  
"So Tank's got you doing a double shift?"  
"Only me, Hal came on duty this morning and to be honest this was better than a stint on reception"  
"So who's on reception?"  
"Contract worker"  
I knew how bad those jobs were, I could fall asleep in front of the monitors and to be honest I had, it was actually Hector who had covered for me both times when that had happened. I picked up my printed sheets and a highlighter pen and made my way back to my cubbie. The search on Michael Colstaro was so clean it had my spidey senses tingling, this wasn't right, hell on paper he was perfect having never made a mistake in his life or been in trouble. The photo wasn't great either, it was slightly out of focus and there were dark shadows across the face, hell he could be anyone with wavy brown hair and if I hadn't run the search I wouldn't have realized he was in his fifties. According to the search he'd served four years in the navy and then went to University to obtain a degree in electronics, from there he got enough backing to start his own company. One wife who'd died no children no brothers or sisters and both parents' dead. Weird he was totally cut off from any ties to anyone. I made some notes of the names of the wife and parents and then went to the search of the company. The company was based in Providence Rhode Island that was strange considering he was from New York and went to University there. The date it opened agreed with the date from Colstaro's search but I was struggling to work out what they actually did. Tank hadn't given me the address for the new place and there were no addresses for a residence here, maybe he'd appoint a manager to oversee it when everything was set up. I jumped when a hand tapped me on the shoulder turning to see Tank stood there grinning, now normally I would say something smart to him but to be honest I was still thinking through what I'd found.

"Well?"  
"I don't like it"  
"Why not?"  
"It's just too clean, well sterile really. I just have a hinkey feeling about it.

"Hinkey? I can't turn down a contract as big as this one because you think it's hinkey"  
"Your choice Tank"  
"Shit, I'll wait till Ranger gets back and then we'll call on him"  
"Where's his new factory?"  
"He hasn't decided, said there were a few options open to him"  
"There you go then, wait till he decides on a place"  
"Yeah you're probably right"  
I made to turn off the computer and bent down to pick up my bag finding Tank still stood looking down at me.

"You leaving?"  
"Yeah I need to call at the Bonds Office"  
"Okay, you in on your usual morning?"

"Yes, tomorrow and Monday"  
"No problems around town?"  
"No, all's quiet"

"You still got your trackers on you?"  
"Yes dad"

I ducked as his hand came toward my head and left him laughing as I used the lift to go down to the garage and then set off for the Tasty Pastry, I was in desperate need of a doughnut. I carried the box of doughnuts I'd bought into the office not surprised to find Lula on the couch.

"Skinny white girl where have you been hiding?"  
"I got called into Rangeman to do some work"  
"Just work or you get some lovin?"  
"Work Lula, anyway Rangers not here this week"  
As I dropped the box of doughnuts on Connie's desk they both made a grab for one, though I think maybe two in Lula's case.

"Anything new Connie?"  
"No we're all up to date"  
I sat down next to Lula savoring the butter cream that was oozing from the center of my doughnut, in fact it was real quiet as we all ate.

"So Connie's coming on Friday are you going to ask Mary Lou"  
"Friday?"  
"Yeah we said we'd go to that new nightclub and take Clarence with us"  
"I remember"  
"So we need to go shopping"  
"Why?"  
"New outfit, I aint got nothing to wear"  
I scoffed at that, I was sure Lula had two, maybe three times the clothes I had, how the hell she could afford it was beyond me, though I suppose her rent was low considering the area she lived in. I had nothing better to do so maybe I might be lucky at the sale racks. I swallowed the mouthful of doughnut and stood up ready to go.

"Okay I'm with you, I've nothing else to do anyway"  
Lula insisted she drove, which was fine by me, less money to spend on gas. It was fairly quiet at the mall for once so Lula managed to park quite close to the entrance. Once inside I headed for Macys and the sale rack while Lula looked at the dresses at full price, I had two in my arms and headed toward Lula who seemed to have an armful.

"Just going to try these on"  
The first dress was a non starter, it fit from my waist down but round my breasts I would need to have breasts twice the size. The second though was definitely a better fit, it was such a dark blue it was almost black and the design of the top made it a perfect fit. Basically there were two bands of cloth that came from the waist over my shoulder and then attached at the waist at the back. There were silver buckles on the shoulder to gather the material in and a similar one just under my breast to stop the material from showing too much. The waist fit perfectly and the skirt finished with a swirl mid thigh, perfect for dancing.

"Shit girl that looks amazing"

"I like it as well, but I'll need one of those backless bras"  
"Yeah and probably matching panties for when you swirl around"  
I looked at the outfit that Lula was wearing, the color was not as loud as usual and because it had a cowl neck her breasts weren't bursting to get out.

"I like that Lula, it's classy but sexy"  
"Ya think, 'cos it's not my usual style"  
"Yes, I like it, you need to get that one"  
So armed with a bag each we headed over to Victorias Secrets to peruse their underwear. I found the ideal bra and panty set in just the right color, hell they cost as much as the dress did and decided when Lula started to look at shoes I had an ideal pair at home that would be just right to go with the dress.

"I need chicken"  
I knew this was coming but decided that if I ate now I wouldn't need to bother with making myself any dinner tonight. As I licked my fingers clean from the most amazing chicken wings and fries I heard my phone going off in my bag but by the time I'd wiped them clean the ringing stopped. I still got the phone out and looked at who had called and groaned, my mother, I knew she'd have heard about Morelli but I really didn't want to hear her litany of why me. But I decided to return the call only because I knew at some stage I'd have to talk to her.

"Hi Mum"  
"Stephanie, I must have caught you at a bad time?"  
"No, I just wasn't fast enough getting my phone out"  
"Well I'd be really pleased if you'd come to dinner tomorrow"  
"Err, yeah that should be okay"  
"Good, take care of yourself"

I just stared at the phone not knowing if I should redial to make sure I'd spoken to the right person.

"Steph?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Who was that?"  
"My Mum"  
"I didn't hear her shouting, you sure?"  
"Yeah, maybe she's already hitting the iced tea"  
I couldn't believe that she hadn't had a go at me, I mean usually when Morelli and I broke up she was blaming me and telling me to get back with him, as long as she hadn't invited some poor man for dinner, maybe that was her plan. As I had my phone in my hand I sent a message to Mary Lou inviting her to our girls night out on Friday, Lenny was pretty good at letting her still enjoy the odd night out and he was better at looking after the boys. Her reply came back immediately, "Love to" so that made five of us, so one car should be enough.

"Lula I'll drive Friday"  
"You sure?"  
"Yeah I don't want to get drunk and suffer the next day"  
"You mean like the last time we went out?"  
I nodded as I blushed with embarrassment remembering that one. We'd gone to a club outside of Trenton so decided a taxi was the better option and once the margaritas began to flow there was no stopping me, the thing is that Lester turned up with Miguel so I was so happy just to drink and dance and drink. I hardly noticed when my partner changed and I ended up in Ranger's arms, I didn't even think to ask him why he was there, I was too happy. The thing is the last thing I remembered was stepping outside into the cool night air and passing out. When I came to it was morning and I was in Ranger's bed by myself. He'd of course got up early but bless him he did bring me fries and a coke when he came back. I'd spent the day in his apartment snuggled up with him on the couch watching films and it was then I realized I couldn't do this friends with benefits, I mean I know it was just a relaxing day but the feelings that were coursing through me were more than friendly, I had to leave before something happened and made Rex the excuse, though Ranger would never have stopped me from leaving. I looked up from my musings and watched people as they went about their lives, Eula was right, so many things to see and then I spotted one of the men from the train station, not the one who was at the locker, the other one. He was on his phone walking into the cinema complex. Now don't get me wrong but that just seemed odd and it was even odder when he came out a few minutes later carrying a bag over his shoulder.

"You ready to go White Girl?"  
"Yeah, I'm stuffed"

Once home the evening had been uneventful, I didn't need to eat so devoted some time to cleaning up the place and changing sheets and towels, after three hours I was pleased with the look of the place, well as pleased as I could be given the second hand furniture and lack of personal effects now scattered around on shelves and tables.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As I finished writing in the poetry book I was sure I heard talking outside of the door, this would be the first indication I'd had of someone else in the house. I quietly moved over to the door and realized the talking had become quieter and couldn't work out why so going back to the middle of the room I tried to figure out where it was coming from. As I walked toward the closet the talking became more distinct and I found that once inside the closet I could hear every word being said.

"She still in her room?"  
"Yeah, been there all afternoon"  
"Is she giving you any trouble?"  
"No, none at all"  
"So why did you need a new bracelet?"  
"The first one was on too tight and I think she must have reacted to it because her leg swelled up and was all red and puffy"  
"Any problems with it and let me know you hear?"  
"Yeah, are you staying?"  
"I suppose we still need both of us to be here so I'm here till I'm told to leave"

I recognized Stretch but not the other one and thought that maybe if I had my door open I might see who came out of the room, I realized theirs was opening and then heard a knock on my door, quickly hiding the book under the covers I went to open it, finding Stretch stood there.

"Miss Plum dinner is ready for you"  
I opened the door further and followed him into the kitchen, to be honest I wasn't hungry but I knew I needed to eat. On the table was a pizza that smelled great, maybe not as good as Pinos or Shorties but it would do I suppose. I sat opposite Stretch and watched him as he cut the pizza into pieces, he was probably mid forties by the look of his face with short hair that was showing signs of greying. The skin was still taut on his face but the signs of his age were showing, lines around his eyes and across his forehead and thinning lips, he was probably a good looking guy a few years ago. He didn't keep his body in shape though; a gut was evident behind the shirt tucked into his trousers. His eyes didn't give anything away at all; I saw no emotion in them and for some reason that sent a shiver down my spine. I nibbled at the pizza while Stretch ate most of it he was unusually quiet which again unnerved me, I really didn't want to stay here any longer than possible and needed to work on some sort of plan for getting out.

"Thanks Stretch"  
"You haven't eaten very much"  
"That's what being lazy does for me, I don't seem to need much food"  
"Anything you'd like for tomorrow?"  
"Not bothered, just tell who ever is in charge to get himself here"  
"I wish I could, but he works by his own schedule"  
"I'm going to shower, could I have some fresh bandages for my ankle please?"

He went to the cupboard and passed me a new bandage and some antiseptic cream I just took them and went into the bedroom feeling really disheartened but as I started up the water a plan came into my head. I undressed and bent down to remove the bandage, luckily Stretch had made sure that the bracelet was loose above the bandage so now as I unwound the bandage I was surprised at how bad it was. The skin was red and broken with small wounds on the surface, no wonder it hurt so much. I showered quickly washing my hair and left the water running as I stepped out from the cubicle. I put the cream all over my skin where it was red and then wrapped the new bandage around it and then added the original bandage on top, the bracelet was part way up my calf. Now was the time to judge how well this worked. With the key I undid the bracelet and then relocked it over the excess bandages. As I heard the bedroom door open I was back in the shower and screamed when I saw a man come into the bathroom closely followed by Stretch.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The first man diverted his eyes then turned and left the room, I wondered if he was the man I heard earlier talking to Stretch and I'm sure he was the one who had stuck that needle in me, Stretch though passed me a towel and turned off the water. Shit did he realize what I'd done, did he know I had a key?  
"Miss Plum, your ankle please"  
"What?"  
"The alarm went off that's why we came rushing in"  
"Well you can see its still locked around my ankle"  
"Yes I can see that"  
"Maybe it doesn't like water"  
"I'm sure it's just a glitch"

He looked embarrassed now and was in a hurry to leave the room, which suited me just fine. From that little adventure I now knew who the second man in the other room was and that he was the one monitoring the bracelet and probably the cameras, so there only seemed to be the two of them here and that seemed strange if they were who they said they were. Now I could probably get the bracelet off my ankle without them knowing, the only thing now was I had to find a way out of the house. I'd changed into a T-shirt and shorts but had put some clothes into a rucksack and some other outdoor clothes into a pile just inside the closet. I felt really anxious but wasn't sure why, I mean when the men had grabbed me form my car they'd shown me their IDs but for some reason I really wasn't sure whether I was being held by the FBI or not. Maybe it was just me, but wouldn't I have to have a lawyer or at least someone I knew with me, maybe not, what did I know about their procedures or how they worked when a situation seemed to need immediate action. I was really tired and felt achy, my ankle hurt, maybe now it had cream on and a new bandage it would settle down. I slid into the bed fidgeting to try and get comfortable trying to work out what to do for the best, maybe see what happened over the next few days, yeah that was probably for the best, maybe then they'd let me go back home and pick up where I was. How I wished that someone might be looking for me, especially Ranger, he always seemed to know when I needed him, maybe by now Tank had realized something was wrong as I hadn't turned up for work, but would he just think I was on vacation like everyone else?

I knew I hadn't slept well as I had some really weird dreams, not about any of the disasters that had happened or my friends or family. Any faces I remember seemed to be the ones I'd encountered in the last few days. I would be running away from some and being caught by others and to use a cliché I could never run fast enough before my feet seemed to stick to the floor or a corridor just went on forever never ending, doors that wouldn't open or those that did returned me back to where I had come from. I pulled the covers away from me feeling sweaty from the night and went to shower. A look in the mirror showed circles under my eyes and hair stuck out in all directions. After showering I did feel better so dressed in a clean pair of jeans and T-shirt before I wondered into the kitchen. Stretch was sat in his usual place reading the paper and only glanced briefly at me before going back to whatever he was reading. I helped myself to some yoghurt from the fridge deciding it didn't look much better than mine at home, milk and butter, yoghurt and old veg in the lower shelf which I would normally give to Rex.  
"Rex, what have you done with Rex?"  
"Who's Rex?"  
"My hamster"  
"Oh he's fine, don't worry about him"  
"But who has him?"  
"One of your friends"  
He got up and left the room leaving me wondering what the hell had happened to Rex, I didn't feel that his explanation carried much substance and that had all those questions of who he was coming back into my head. I couldn't finish the yoghurt so opened the bin to throw away the container and saw an envelope that had been torn in half and discarded, call me mad I don't care but for some reason I picked it out of the bin and shoved the two halves in the back pocket of my jeans. As I opened the door to go out into the garden Stretch reappeared.

"I'm sorting out getting supplies delivered, is there anything you need?"

Did I need anything? I didn't think so and for the life of me couldn't think of anything that might be useful. I shook my head and then remembered the dirty clothes in my room.

"Is there someone going to be doing the washing, I could use some clean sheets and towels"

"Put them out in the hall and I'll sort it out"

I returned to my room and stripped the bed, hell I even folded the sheets up, added the towels and my clothes from the day before but as I started to pick them up I retrieved my underwear, no way did I want someone handling those. I left everything out in the hall and closed the bedroom door. Looking at the underwear I went into the bathroom and washed them with hand soap and hung them over the towel rail. I then went to the bed and retrieving the torn envelope from my pocket and laid the two halves together seeing that there was nothing inside. I thought it was very strange for an FBI safe house to be receiving mail, but at least now I had an address for where I was, not that it helped because I hadn't a clue where 22 1st St Ext Danbury, Connecticut was. The name above the address was a Mr James Harvey, who ever he was, but at least I would have something to work with if I ever needed to find out and for some reason I was tending to think I might. It was already lunchtime when I finished so once again made my way to the kitchen, sat on the table were more pre packed sandwiches which by the look of them had some sort of white meat inside covered in mayonnaise.

No way was I touching those so I grabbed a cereal bar next to them and limped out into the garden. This time while I made circuits by the wall I really looked for where any cameras were or motion sensors might be hidden, I couldn't see any evidence of anything that would indicate there was even one camera or sensor. I returned to the hammock after five circuits and now looked to the back of the house, nothing. So why had Stretch told me there was and surely if they were supposed to keep me safe how would they keep a would be contract killer out? It made me sure that he was trying to use scare tactics on me, well Mr Stretch that wasn't gonna work on me and now as I headed to the kitchen I was determined to get out of this house, by my reckoning today was Friday and I'd been here for two days. I was surprised to find Stretch there and he was just pulling something out of the oven, he placed it in the middle of the table and then started to get plates and cutlery out. I found two glasses and filled them with water and then sat down wondering what the hell was in the dish.

"I got us some Thai Green Chicken, thought you might appreciate a change"  
"Thank you"  
I watched as he took two heaped spoonfuls and placed it on his plate then he stood up and brought a packet of hot noodles and heaped some on top. Obviously there must be a Thai take away close by.

"Help yourself"  
I forked out some noodles and then added the chicken not really ready to eat such a large meal but I must admit the smell was wonderful and the taste was exactly how I liked it so I ate what I had and took a little bit more watching as he piled the leftovers onto his empty plate.

"I'm pleased to see you liked it, I found it in the freezer so thought it would make a nice change"  
I cleared my plate from the table and stood lent against the work top drinking my water, the meal while good was sitting heavy in my stomach.

"I left clean sheets and towels outside your room, the clothes won't be back until tomorrow"  
"Okay I'm gonna head for my room"  
I saw the sheets and towels and carried them into the bedroom, if I didn't know better I'd say they were all brand new, they all had creases in them that they would only get from being in a package. I folded the towels and put them in the bathroom pleased that my underwear was dry and then spent the next ten minutes making the bed. Once done I retrieved my poetry book and started to think about what had happened last Thursday


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Thursday

I was in Rangeman by 8am, feeling really proud of myself for having arrived early for the second day running. I went through my ritual of waving to the camera after parking in the garage but this time used the lift to go up to five. It was eerily quiet this morning with only Cal and Vince on the monitors and all the other doors were closed. I switched on my computer and went into the break room to get something to eat and make a pot of coffee. I took two mugs through to Cal and Vince because they sure looked as though they needed it.

"Morning guys"  
I chimed as I set each of them a coffee in front of them.

"Morning Steph, early again?"  
"Yeah, I thought the sooner I started the sooner I'd finish"  
"Good luck with that, have you seen your in box yet?"  
"No, why?"  
"Loads to do, I think Tank has some from the Boston office for you"  
"Why would he do that?"  
"So he knows where you are"  
"Yeah right"  
I started to laugh at that and then realized Cal was being serious, would Tank really do that? Sheesh I didn't need babysitting I mean I didn't have any skips at the moment and the ones I'd had were harmless. I closed my eyes and opened them again when I saw the stack of files in my in tray, at the number that was there I'd be lucky if I got out of here before the end of the day. Thing was that it was 4.30 when I finally put the last file into the out box, I felt stiff tired and hungry, all I'd eaten today was an apple and a banana at lunch time, thinking that if I ate while I worked I'd be finished earlier. I rushed out of the building knowing that I needed to shower and change before heading to my parent's house, my mother would not approve of me turning up in a Rangeman uniform. I was feeling quite anxious at the prospect of dinner tonight, I mean I know I should be used to it by now but I wasn't prepared for there to another man there or for my mother to rant at me about Morelli. I opted for a calf length denim skirt and a black sweater with flat black shoes and headed out again. Once parked I was surprised that there was no one waiting at the door, had their radar gone on the blink? Once inside I poked my nose around the door to the front room seeing my Dad watching TV and said hello, he replied but that was the extent of his conversation. My Mum was in the kitchen finishing off dinner.

"Stephanie would you stir the gravy and pour it into the gravy jug"  
Now what was she up to, she never let me lose with anything that required being cooked or heated up. Once she'd removed the chicken from the oven and put the potatoes in a dish she came over to me and took the spoon from my hand.

"Stephanie I was sorry to hear about Morelli"  
I was sure I was stood with my mouth open, did I hear her right?"  
"I know I tried to push you two together, but I also know you're not the kind of woman to put up with a mans indiscretions"

She turned off the heat and poured the gravy into the jug then turned to me again.

"I should have learnt how you felt about that with Richard, but I just thought Joseph was with her when you were on a break up"  
Oh so he'd always kept Terry around and I'm sure it wasn't just when we were on an off period.

"I promise I won't interfere any more, you're old enough to know your own mind and when the right man comes along I'll just be happy that you've found someone"  
Had aliens switched her out because this was so not my mother, why had she suddenly changed her point of view?

"I was in Giovanis this morning when Angie came in, she didn't want to talk to me and it was only when I heard young Alice, you know the girl behind the counter, that I realized what was going on. Alice really laid into Angie for what Joseph was up to. Did you know they've gone to Aruba?"

"Err, no I didn't"  
"Well Angie tried to defend him but when Alice called him a man whore she just turned around and walked out"  
"I'd have liked to have been a fly on that wall"

"You see Alice is more your age and I suppose she gave me a different perspective of the two of you"  
"Okay, so no male guests at dinner?"

"No"  
"No pushing for weddings?"  
"No"

"Let's get dinner then before it gets cold"  
Grandma was already sat down at the table and as she winked at me I guessed she knew what my mother had said.

"Stephanie your father, Grandmother and I have been invited down to my cousins daughter's wedding at Wilmington, would you like to come with us?"

I stopped eating and looked at her thinking about what she'd said but really I didn't want to go, to be stuck making idle conversation with relatives just wasn't what I wanted to do.

"No I'll pass, but why don't you make a vacation out of it, you know do a bit of sightseeing and chill out?"

"I suppose we could do that, what do you think Frank?"

A nod from my Dad was all she got but I'm sure she was already making plans in her head.

"Mother you could stay with Henry's mother while Frank and I have some time to ourselves"  
So that seemed sorted and I spent the rest of the meal listening to my Mum's and Grandmother's plans, I actually felt really pleased that they would get to go away for a vacation, they hadn't been away for years.

"When are you leaving?"  
"Tomorrow afternoon, you'll be alright on your own won't you?"  
"Of course, there's always a phone"

Grandma started to get up looking quite flustered.  
"Oh look at the time, I promised Mavis I'd meet her at Stivas. Baby Girl will you give me a ride"  
"Sure"  
I hugged both my Mum and Dad and wished them a happy vacation and led Grandma to the car, I was sure she was itching to say something.

"Come on Grandma spit it out"  
"Well I think your mother had her eyes opened this morning especially when Alice asked how she would like it if Frank kept a mistress on the side, I suppose she never thought about it like that before and I know for a fact she wouldn't put up with it so I think she came to the decision that you shouldn't have to either"  
"It certainly makes life so much more pleasant, you'll behave while you're away won't you?"  
"Who me? If I remember right Gertie is a hoot, we'll have lots of fun"

"That's what I'm worried about"  
The car park was full when we got to Stivas and I ended up parked down the road. I decided I'd better walk with my Grandma to find Mavis and then I could head for home.

"Who're you here to see?"  
"Old Mrs. King passed away, so sad, they didn't find her for a few days, her son found her when he went to visit"  
"It looks real busy"  
"Yeah it does, I'll have a nosey around and find out why"

"Grandma don't you dare"  
"Oh hush, I'm on my best behavior tonight"  
Of course she headed for the main room once inside, I saw the name Colowski on the plaque by the door but had no idea who he was.

"Who is he Grandma?"  
I whispered as we walked into the room and looked around at the mass of people standing around talking.

"He saw himself as one of the boys, you know maybe he was in the days because he had lots of money and always drove a new car"  
"What you mean as in Family?"

"Yeah, but he was real quiet about it, I suppose he had his men to do all the dirty work but he was a gentleman, as long as you stayed on his good side"  
I still hadn't heard of him but going back that many years the Burg certainly had their share of mafia style bosses each with his own area of business and reputation. I tried to keep up with Grandma but she was small enough that she just seemed to disappear into the crowd, I headed for where I thought she might be heading, yeah the casket, I didn't know whether to pray for it be already open or not. Fortunately the queue was a long one so I managed to get hold of my Grandma's hand and turned her to leave the room before she got to the casket. It was then that I saw Alexander Ramos waiting in the queue and he was talking to Vito Grizoli, it was definitely time to leave. I avoided him by pulling my Grandma to the other side of the room before managing to get us back out into the entrance lobby.

"There's Mavis"  
"Good, how are you getting home?"  
"Mavis of course, but it's a bit busy in here tonight maybe we'll head straight to bingo instead"

"That sounds like a good idea. I'm heading out now Grandma so behave and have a lovely vacation"  
"I will, you take care while I'm gone and then you can tell me all about what you've been up to"  
"Okay, we'll swap stories"  
I gave her a hug and said goodnight to Mavis and then headed back to my car, I really didn't want to be here tonight and I didn't know why. I headed back to my apartment surprised when I appeared to have a tail, what the hell, no one had ever been so obvious when they followed me before. I turned into the back lanes behind the houses and wove across the streets feeling quite confidant with myself until I pulled into my car park and saw the same car parked there. I parked at the back by the dumpster and then watched amazed as Tank got out of the car. What the hell was he doing in an old red Landrover?

"Tank, was it you following me?"  
"Yeah, you did good losing me"  
"Why were you following me?"  
"Just wanted to be sure you got home safe"  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
"The boys at Stivas asked us to keep an eye on the place because of Colowski and Hal saw you there so was worried you might be following a skip"  
"No, following my Grandmother"  
"Ah I see, so just a coincidence?"  
"Yes, she was there to see Mrs. King but decided to see who else was there"  
"So there're no problems?"  
"No"

He turned and got back in his car, what the hell was going on? Once inside my apartment I checked out every corner feeling slightly paranoid and then decided a soak in a hot tub was what I needed before heading to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I stopped writing at the end of recalling the happenings last Thursday and decided that maybe that was enough for the evening. I went into the bathroom to wash and brush my teeth turning my nose up at the taste of the toothpaste. I really didn't feel well so quickly changed and snuggled down into the bed, I was glad I'd made the bed before because I didn't think I could have done it now. My stomach was turning and churning as I wriggled trying to find a more comfortable position but as a pain descended into my lower abdomen I realized I had to get to the bathroom, and fast. I just made it to the toilet when my stomach erupted and between bouts of throwing up I knelt down cradling the bowl, I felt so ill, I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so sick and then I had to change positions as the pain in my abdomen moved lower and I had to the sit on the toilet. After an hour I knew there was nothing left inside of my digestive system, I felt a little better in as much I knew I could leave the confines of the bathroom but now I was cold so crawled back into bed. I tossed and turned throughout the night and by 7 I'd had enough. I found a robe in the closet and then headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I sat at the table nursing my glass and let my head lay on the table and that's how Stretch found me, half asleep.

"Miss Plum?"  
"Go away"  
"Are you alright?"  
"No"  
I sat up and looked at him and for once I think I saw concern pass across his face.

"Go lay down, you don't look too good"

I pushed off from the table but what with my ankle and the spinning of my head I ended up sinking down to the floor.

"Shit"  
That's all I heard as I felt myself being lifted up and carried, then I felt the bed below me, a sheet being tucked around me before I became oblivious to anything. When I eventually opened my eyes I remained perfectly still, trying to judge how I felt, I really didn't want to be throwing up again. My stomach felt okay, a bit tender, but there were no more cramping pains. My head ached a bit but not as badly as it had done last night so I carefully tuned my head to look at the time, hell the day had passed without me, it was nearly 4.30. I slowly sat up still aware of the throbbing in my ankle and made my way to the bathroom, I had to shower to get rid of the smell that still seemed to permeate from my skin. Once finished I brushed my teeth and looking in the mirror recognizing that I looked like shit. The areas under my eyes were more pronounced, my skin looked pale and the whites of my eyes had a yellow tinge to them. I dressed in clean shorts and a T-shirt and with a robe back on went in search of a drink of water. Stretch was in the kitchen as I went in and he looked at me as I got a glass and filled it.

"How are you feeling?"  
"Better"  
"You still don't look too good"  
"I'm going back to bed"  
"Miss Plum if you need anything please find me"  
Like that was about to happen, I really needed to get out of here now because the longer I stayed the more ill I felt, was it me because I was cooped up in this place or had I picked up something and was now suffering, whatever it was if I didn't get out now I wouldn't be able to later. Back in my room I didn't want to sleep in fact I was quite awake, I wanted to find out what happened during the night and then maybe I could see a way out. That decided I found my poetry book and began to write about last Friday, shit that was over a week ago now.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Friday

The day went by in a bit of haze really, for some reason I slept in and didn't seem to catch up with myself. It was mid day by the time I made it to the Bonds Office only to be told that Lula wasn't coming in to work and Connie was closing early as there were no new files and the courts had closed for the weekend. We agreed a time for me to pick her up and she would send a message to the others so I decided to go say farewell to my family. As I pulled up I saw my Dad sat on the doorstep and did he look fed up, my Mum was going in and out of the house putting things down to be packed. I wondered over and sat next to him waiting for him to say something first.

"You okay Pumpkin?"  
"Yeah, girls night out tonight"  
"Well take care while we're away, she still worries about you"

"I know but at least she's backed off a bit"  
"Yeah now I'm in her sights"  
I laughed at that as he got up and started to pack bags into the trunk of the car. My Grandma came out wearing a lilac tracksuit and hair to match and kissed me on the cheek before she got in the car, just as Mum closed the door to the house and came up to me.

"Stephanie, you're sure you don't want to come?"  
"No Mum, you have some time alone with Dad"  
"Well that's the plan"  
"Drive carefully Dad"  
"I love you Stephanie, don't ever forget that"  
My Mum almost had me in tears as she said that, maybe all she ever wanted was what she thought was best for me. I waved as they drove down the street and out of view. Then I jumped back in my car to go home and get ready for my night out, I was looking forward to it and felt really pleased with the choice of dress.

Lula led the way into the club complaining loudly about the amount she had to pay to get in, I knew this place wouldn't be cheap which was another reason I'd opted to drive I wouldn't have to spend a fortune on drink. Mary Lou was next to me and Connie followed talking to Clarence who had really washed up good, in fact when he put his mind to it he was a good looking kid. We found a table away from the bar but with a good view of the dance floor and let Lula and Clarence go to the bar for the drinks. It was really loud and really difficult to hear what anyone said so I pointed to Mary Lou and then the dance floor pleased when she got up with me. I had a great time dancing sometimes with one of the girls and sometimes with men that would ask me. At the end of the evening we'd all enjoyed ourselves and left in the early hours of the morning me holding them up of course. The thing was I couldn't remember anything unusual about that night, I mean yes the place was packed but I didn't see anyone that I recognized. 

As I finished writing I looked at the time, I knew I'd skimped on trying to remember what I may have seen at the nightclub but no one seemed obvious or to jump out for me, the other days yes but Friday no. It was nearly midnight and although it wasn't as late as I wanted it to be I needed to do some thing so sat up and stood by the bed, for some reason my head swooned and I had to sit down again and my ankle was throbbing. I needed a painkiller so walked out into the hallway and then into the kitchen to see if there were any in the cupboard I'd seen Stretch get the bandage from. There was a bottle of Advil in a first aid bag so I took the bottle and after taking two tablets out put the bottle in my pocket. I poured some water into a glass and swallowed the tablets and the rest of the water. I felt hot so without thinking opened the door that led into the backyard. I stepped outside relishing the feel of the cool night air and then suddenly panicked, dogs, he'd said there were dogs out here, but I couldn't hear or see any, in fact it was eerily quiet. I wondered back into the kitchen and refilled the glass then walked into the hallway. Nothing happened, no one appeared which seemed really strange, I felt like I could just walk to the front door and walk out but something was stopping me, I was scared to do it. A shadow passing in front of the door had me scurrying back to my room and I watched as the door opened and that man who had burst into the bathroom walked in and then went through the first door. I left my room and as I walked up to the door he'd disappeared through I knew the answer, the smell of cigarette smoke permeated the air. I suddenly felt much more awake and actually felt better so I made my way back to my bedroom opening the closet and dressing in jeans, T-shirt and a jacket, I removed all the bandages from my ankle and slowly eased the bracelet down until I was tugging at it to go over my heel. At last it came off and seemed intact, I replaced the bandages onto my ankle, so next I tried to put on some trainers but they were too tight around my ankle so I swapped them out for cat boots leaving the laces lose around the ankle. I had my poetry book in the inside pocket of the coat and the rucksack on my back. I sat in the dark by the door watching the hallway, I knew the man would need another smoke and an hour later he wondered out and went through the front door again. I stood up and readied myself, the bracelet was in the bed so I didn't need to worry about that, maybe once out I'd need to panic but for now getting out was my only focus. I watched as he came back in and as the internal door closed behind him I ran toward the front door opening it just enough for me to slip through and close it quietly behind me and then I just ran. I went to the end of the drive and for some unknown reason turned right and headed down the road not knowing if the men in the house knew I was gone or not. I didn't keep running though, I couldn't I was almost hopping as I went, my ankle was really painful now and I was struggling to get my breath but I knew I had to keep going. There were no lights on the road and I took that as a good sign and at this time of night there were no cars. The road came to an end but there was a pathway through the tall grass that I followed using the light from the moon to stay on track. I don't know how long I walked for but I knew I was exhausted, I felt elated when at the next curve in the track I saw a lot of lights and as I approached I could see a main road and a truck stop below me. I slid down the banking and found myself amongst trucks that were parked up. It was quiet with no one around so I went from truck to truck trying to find some way of hiding. Each door I tried was locked and feeling so tired and frustrated that I couldn't get any further I slid down by a tyre, pulling my knees to my chest with my head down I felt the tears start.

"Hey girl what the hell do you think you're doing?"  
I jumped and I looked up into the face of a young man, tears still pouring down my face.

"You in trouble?"

I shook my head, unable to find any words.

"You after a ride"  
I nodded and made to get up but stumbled when my ankle gave way. He bent down and with his hands under my armpits lifted me up leaning me against the side of the truck.

"You need help to get in?"  
"Please"

He opened the cab door and then as he pushed I pulled myself up and inside until I was sat in the passenger seat, he closed the door and then went round to the drivers' side and climbed in. The engine started with a low growl and the gears engaged with a cranking sound but at last we were on the move.

"What's your name?"  
I didn't want to let him know who I was so I went for the first name that came into my head.

"Joyce"  
"You in trouble with the police?"  
"No, some men"  
"They hurt you?"  
"Yes and tried to keep me prisoner"

"Do we need to get the police?"  
"No"

I thought about that but in the end decided that if it was the FBI who were keeping me prisoner then the police would just hand me back over to them.  
"Okay then, where do you need to be?"  
"Where are you headed for?"  
"I'm going north and I've got a lot of stops to make"

Probably heading north was safer, I mean Stretch would assume I'd head for home and if there was a contract out on me that's the last place I wanted to be.  
"That would be brilliant, thank you for helping"

I must have dozed because the next thing I knew we'd stopped; the guy was busy at the back of the truck unloading boxes. He obviously delivered things to the smaller grocery shops because we seemed to be in a small residential area. The sleep seemed to have done me some good, my stomach felt settled and my headache had backed off. I pulled my book from my pocket and opened it ready to write in, I re read Friday but I still couldn't tell you who had been at that dam club and there was nothing obvious that had happened.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Saturday

Saturday had been a boring day and now that I thought about they hadn't mentioned it, which was a good job really. I know I went shopping to the grocery store and cleaned out Rex's tank but the weather was wet and windy so I stayed in and watched TV, sorting out Mary Lou's surprise birthday present. Her birthday was actually on the Saturday but she'd spent the day with her family, Lenny knew what I had planned and he was all for it, knowing she would have a brilliant day.

Sunday

So at 9.30am on Sunday morning I'd swapped out my POS car for Big Blue and driven around the block to park in front of her house. Lenny was watching out for me and came rushing out with a bag that he put in the back seat and then he went back inside to shout of Mary Lou. Of course she didn't have a clue what was going on and went with the idea that we were just going out for a coffee, it wasn't until we were well out of Trenton that she began to get suspicious.

"Steph where the hell is a coffee shop out here?"  
"We'll be there soon"  
"That's what I say to the boys when we still have hours to go"

"It's not far"  
"Hell Steph do you remember when we were kids and your Dad snook us out of your house, I must have been on a sleepover, and then he seemed to drive forever"  
"Yeah, trust us to have a puncture"  
"But when we stopped that minivan pulled over to help"  
"And it just seemed to empty of old folk"  
"Hell I never thought the line would stop. But hey they helped and even suggested we followed them showing us an amazing place for a picnic"  
"Yeah, it was a good spot wasn't it?"  
"Steph, why are you going down this road?"  
"Shortcut"  
"I'm sure I remember being here before"

As I turned off the road and down a track we came to a dead end, I turned off the engine and looked over at Mary Lou, just seeing her smile made all the work worth it.

"You brought me here?"  
"Happy Birthday Lou"

"You organized this for me?"  
"Grab the bag from the back while I get something out of the trunk. Armed with a box we headed down onto the beach stopping to take in the view. I was so relieved that morning when the clouds had broken and the sun began to make an appearance. It really was beautiful here, maybe a bit of a breeze but once we'd laid out a rug between the sand dunes we were sheltered from the worst of it. From my box I brought out a container with small sandwiches in, peanut butter of course, and some with honey. Then from another container found the packet of chips and finally two plastic containers with jelly inside and of course there was a container with cake and cookies inside.

"This is what we had that day, how the hell did you remember?"  
"I always remember that day Lou, it was an amazing day out"  
"Do you remember that old couple going skinny dipping?"  
"Yeah and another couple disappearing into the sand dunes"  
"I still have the shells I collected that day"  
"Then when we've eaten we'll go find some more"

And that's exactly what we did, though this time we were wearing jeans and a coat instead of shorts and a T-shirt. When we eventually got back to the car laden down with more shells we emptied out trainers of sand and got in. The beach had been deserted for us; okay maybe there were some people who lived in the houses away from the beach but the first part of the day had gone exactly how I had planned it. Instead of heading back to the main road I turned again and headed toward Point Pleasant and felt really lucky when I found a spot to park near the boardwalk, I paid for the parking and we set off to walk along the front. There were people out and about, everyone enjoying the good weather and we did what we always did when we came here, ate ice cream and candyfloss. We did a lot of reminiscing as we walked, yeah, this place had a lot of good memories especially the rides and arcades. The games had changed, more electronic and the rides I'm sure were higher and faster but we still screamed the same and held on tight and we still left with less money than we'd come with. As the sun was disappearing we headed back to the car, it seemed Big Blue had some admirers looking around her and trying to see inside. Was that important? I really didn't know, three men walked away when they saw us coming and because we were laughing and giggling I didn't take much notice of them. We drove back in silence I think both of us tired and probably going over the day in our heads, I was so surprised when I stopped outside of Lou's house and turned to her to see tears running down her cheeks. I panicked, what had I done wrong?  
"Lou?"  
"Steph that was one of the best birthdays I've ever had, thank you so much"  
"Shit Lou, I thought you were upset with me"  
"No, it was so good to remember those days we had as kids and now we have new memories to add to them"  
"We sure do Lou, go on there are faces at the window, Lenny probably thought we'd got lost. I'll catch you during the week"  
"Have a good one Steph and thanks again"

Once she was through the front door I went back to my parents and parked Big Blue back in the garage and then headed back to my apartment. I was tired but felt so happy at how well the day had gone, especially since Lou had enjoyed it so much. I unpacked and washed all the containers and spent the next thirty minutes in the shower then checked my locks and went to bed. I knew I was early to bed but the sound of my phone had me totally confused.

"Yeah?"  
"I didn't wake you up again did I?"  
"Ranger? Sheesh what time is it?"  
"Ten"  
"Did I sleep in?"  
"No Babe it's ten at night"  
"Oh, I was exhausted so went to bed early"  
"What have you been up to?"  
"I took Mary Lou to Point Pleasant for her birthday surprise"  
"You had a good time then?"  
"Yeah we did, I took her to a place on the beach we'd been to as kids and had a picnic, exactly the same things to eat and then we walked and collected shells"  
"Did you go into Point Pleasant?"  
"Of course, mind you the rides seem faster and bigger than I remember and the arcades were busy and full of zany games"

"Sounds like you had fun"  
"I did, I took her in Big Blue just for the atmosphere"  
"I haven't seen that car for a while, she still running good?"  
"Yes, but you can see the gauge for the gas going down"

"She's a classic now"

"So what've you been up to?"

"We got our skip, no problems except that the girlfriend tried to have a go at Santos"  
"I bet that was fun to watch"  
"Yeah, he didn't really want to hurt her but in the end he used his stun gun"

I'd laughed at that, I could just imagine Lester wanting to hit her but knowing he shouldn't.

"Any other adventures?"

"My parents and Grandma have gone away, but I had to take Grandma to Stivas"  
"Did she behave?"  
"Yeah, it was too busy even for her"

"Babe?"  
"Yeah"  
"I miss having you around"  
"You do?"  
"Yeah I do, you usually make my day"  
"Gee thanks, you mean I usually do something stupid"  
"No, how you always get your man and solve problems. That you make me and the men smile with just your presence"  
I think I was speechless at what he'd said, I mean I knew he said I was listed under the entertainment expenditure but what he'd said sounded so sincere and so alien to what I was used to hearing from him.

"I miss you too Ranger"  
The tone of our voices had gone from joking to serious and as I said that last sentence I felt a glimmer of hope flicker inside me.

"I'm here till the end of the week, Babe, but I want to see you when I get back"  
"See me?"

"Goodnight Babe"

My heart was racing as I played our whole conversation through in my head.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I really missed hearing Ranger's voice, I just hoped that maybe he was opening up to me or why would he have called and said he wanted to see me. As I replayed our last conversation I just hoped he hadn't thought I'd just left town without saying anything, surely he would want to know where I'd gone, hell I hoped so. I yawned as I looked through the window of the cab, I'd lost count of how many times we'd stopped, and now as the light from the sun was disappearing we were stopping at one of those truck stops. He brought the engine down through the gears and maneuvered the truck between two others and shut off the engine. It seemed so peaceful now; it almost felt like I had suddenly stopped being able to hear.

"You want something to eat luv?"

Did I? No.

"No thanks but maybe a drink, err maybe I could use the facilities here"

"Sure I'll wait till you get back"

I limped my way over to the rest room, they weren't that clean but I needed to empty my bladder. As I washed my hands a look in the broken mirror showed the reflection of someone so alien to me, pale skin, dark shadows and I think maybe I'd lost weight. Sighing I made my way back to the truck, thankful for help in getting back in.

"You okay on your own in the truck?"  
"Yeah, I'll be fine"  
"Look to be on the safe side climb through there and then no one can see you, I'll lock the truck up"

I climbed between the seats and found an area that obviously doubled up as somewhere to sleep so seeing as I was tired I lay down with my head on the pillow and surprisingly fell asleep.

It was the rumbling of the engine and jarring of the gears that brought me awake and for a minute I panicked with being in such a small space, then I heard the sound of music drifting through from in front of me. I stretched as best I could trying to rid my muscles of the aches and swore as my foot hit the hard surface of the cabin. I retied my hair into a ponytail and then clambered through and back onto the front seat.

"You slept well luv, here's the drink you asked for"  
He passed me a carton of apple juice which I gladly took gulps from and then remembered the Advil bottle I'd transferred to my coat pocket.

"You okay luv?"  
"Yeah just a sore ankle"

"I've only got one more stop before the depot and the boss don't take too kindly to us taking on passengers so if I stop at the next truck stop maybe I can get you another ride"  
"Thanks for that, where are we near?"  
"I'd say Boston is the next largest city"  
Boston, I felt a small measure of relief at that name, Rangeman had a branch in Boston, if I could get to that office then maybe I could get a message to Ranger, surely he'd be back in Trenton by now. Would he wonder where I was or would he also believe I'd gone away on a vacation? No, surely he would know I would tell him or even Tank if that was on my mind.

"Boston sounds good to me, I have a friend there who could help me"  
"All right, I'll find someone going into the city, that shouldn't be too hard to do"

I watched as the sun came up on another day, what the hell day was it anyway?

"Is it Monday"  
"Sure is luv"

At the next stop I waited in the cabin while he walked over to a group of drivers. Hell I'd never even asked him his name, he was maybe mid forties, dressed in jeans and a checked shirt, his rolled up sleeves showed the muscles he had, probably from lifting boxes in and out of the truck. He turned to look at me and started to walk toward me with another man beside him and then he opened the door next to me and gently lifted me out.

"Barney this here's Joyce, glad you could help her out mate"  
Barney smiled at me and started to turn and walk away.

"Hurry up luv, he's your next ride"  
"Thank you for all the help"  
"No problem"

I followed Barney as fast as I could toward a truck that looked brand new, fancy writing on the side drew my attention and I realized I was going to be riding with my favorite lingerie products, shush it's a secret. This truck was so much quieter than the other one had been and for some reason either Barney was a better driver or the gears were smoother to change. As we left the highway we were soon travelling through the outskirts of what I presumed was Boston, probably no different to any other city but I felt a new hope come to me. The roads were busy and changed to single carriageways and then a series of one-way streets and then we turned down a ramp and into an underground area. Barney switched off the engine and got out of the cab, before he closed the door he said quietly.

"When I start to unload you get yourself out okay?"

I nodded as he closed his door and watched through the side mirror as he went around to the back of the truck then I opened the door and very carefully lowered myself to the ground, trying to ignore the pain that was shooting up my leg. How the hell had a reaction to that dam bracelet done so much damage? It was early in the morning, judging from where the sun was trying to peek through the clouds, as I came up from the underground loading area, I had absolutely no idea where I was but I knew where I wanted to be. I wanted Ranger to be here, to tell me everything was going to be all right. I limped down the street keeping to the buildings, how did I find the address of the Rangeman building? I had no phone and no money and no way was I going to ask some random stranger. I thought of Eula at that moment and how she managed to survive on the streets of Trenton and realized that there was always a soup kitchen near the train station. There were signs for that so I slowly followed them, the day was starting to come alive with more cars on the road and people on the sidewalks, in some ways I found more comfort in being amongst the crowds. I found the station then looked around for anyone that seemed to be homeless and followed an old woman as she made her way down a side street and then disappeared through a door, I was very dubious about where she'd gone until I saw a younger man do the same. Both looked so weary and downtrodden I felt like a fraud just walking in, but knew that at least it might be somewhere safe for now and maybe I'd find a way to work out where Rangeman was located. A woman probably my mother's age came up to me when she saw me limping in and with her arm around me guided me to a seat.

"You stay there and I'll get you a drink and a bacon sandwich"  
I smiled up at her and wiped a tear from my eye as her kindness touched my heart, then looked around at the hustle and bustle of helpers coming too and fro with drinks and food. The woman returned and placed a mug and sandwich in front of me, though the coffee was welcome I wasn't too sure about the sandwich, I really wasn't feeling too well.

"Thank you"  
"My pleasure honey, is there anything else that you need?"  
"Could you tell me how to find Rangeman Security?"  
"I don't know the place myself but I'll check on line for you"  
I drank the coffee but ended up passing the sandwich across the table to a young woman who looked like she needed it more than me.

"Here I wrote down the address and phone number, is there someone there who can help you?"  
I nodded my head looking down at the street name; I had no idea how to get to it.

"What if I let you use my phone?"  
"Would you do that for me?"  
"Of course, you don't have the look of the usuals who come in here, are you in trouble?"  
"In a way, but it's trouble that's after me"  
I took the phone from her hand and called the number on the piece of paper praying that who ever answered would believe who I was.

"Rangeman security how may I help?"  
"My name is Stephanie Plum and I need to get a message to Ranger or Tank"  
"Go ahead"  
"I'm in Boston at a soup kitchen by the railway and I could really use some help"  
"Is that it?"  
"Yes, please promise you'll get the message to him"  
"I will Ma'am"  
I returned the phone to the woman smiling but inside I was so worried that the man at Rangeman would think it was a hoax or some mad person trying to get attention.

"Come on Honey you need to sleep, you don't look too well, there are some cots in the back that are safe and warm, what's your name if someone asks about you?"  
"Stephanie"  
She led me through a door into a long room that had beds on either side and helped me to lay down, I refused to take off my coat but let her remove my boots and then felt the comfort of a pillow on my face and allowed myself to drift into a restless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

RPOV

I returned to Trenton on Friday, late in the morning with Santos, pleased with the way the week had gone, we'd caught our skip without too much trouble, I'd got caught up with any business at the Miami office and had enjoyed a day with Julie. I felt more comfortable with her now, I suppose as she had gotten older her outlook on life had changed and she was more open with me about things that were happening. She immediately asked about Steph surprising me that they stayed in touch so often and I was happy to tell her that Steph sent her love and that she'd be in touch soon. Rachel was her usual self, making it obvious that she didn't want me near Julie but as I said Julie was older now and wanted to see me so Rachel begrudgingly allowed it to happen. I felt that I was slowly getting to grips with speaking to Steph, I knew it was me that had to make a move and to be honest I struggled with it, I found it hard to express myself, years of being in the army can do that, and with the work I'd done on the many missions I'd had I'd talked myself, well made myself stay away from any type of relationship. What had happened with Rachel just added to it, hell everything just got so fucked up, I didn't love her and no way could I leave the army and to have a child with my lifestyle, well let's say I'd resolved never to be in that position again, but now, maybe now I was ready. As we touched down at the airport I was surprised to see Tank meeting us, normally he'd send one of the men or just arrange a hire car, something was wrong and I was sure I wasn't going to like it.

I sat next to him and waited for him to say something.

"I'm worried about Steph"  
"Why?"  
"A couple of things really, she didn't turn up for work so I tried to call her but it went straight to voicemail. Then when we checked her trackers they were all in her car and the car was parked at the apartment. No sign of any break in but some clothes were missing. I thought at first maybe she'd changed her mind and gone with her parents to some wedding but then I had Mary Lou harassing me early this morning. She received a letter that was supposed to be from Steph saying she was going away. Well Mary Lou didn't like it, said Steph would never write a letter she'd just phone or call in. Mary Lou had been to the apartment before us thinking she might catch Steph and said that Rex was still there. She said Steph would never go anywhere without making sure the little rat was being looked after"

"Did Steph say she was having any problems with anyone?"

"No, I spoke with her after our job at Stivas and she said all she'd had were just the run of the mill"  
"Connie and Lula?"  
"They got a letter as well so assumed she'd gone with her parents"  
"Can we pull up a history of her trackers?"  
"I left Hector doing that"  
"So when do you think she went missing?"

"The letters arrived this morning, so maybe yesterday or even the day before"

I couldn't understand where she might be, I'd called her a couple of times while I was away the last time being late on Sunday evening. She'd spent the day with Mary Lou at Point Pleasant and had really enjoyed herself, so what had changed since then?  
"She'd no new files over the weekend so maybe she picked one up on Monday, I'll call at the Bonds Office and check what new files Connie gave her"

As we came into the garage at Rangeman I saw Steph's car parked up and felt my spirits rise; she wasn't missing she was here now.

"Err Ranger I had Cal pick up her car so Ram could take a look at it"  
I know I felt deflated but tried to ensure I wasn't showing it although I'm sure the men knew how I felt about Steph, now I needed to be sure she knew. I'd made a start on trying to connect with her, calling in on her before leaving for Miami and even telling her where and why I was going. Then calling her while I was away to impress on her that she was on my mind and she was constantly, I loved to listen to her voice and hear what she'd been up to, her laugh and suddenly I realized that although I'd told her I didn't do relationships I was already in one with her. All of the reasons I'd stood by were being put to sleep one by one leaving only my concern for her safety by being associated with me.

"Tank has there been any rumors or whispers focusing on me?"  
"None, I checked, and apart from the ones who crawl out of the woodwork I think you're clear of most of them"  
Yeah I knew he was referring to ones like Scrogg and Orin, but who was to say there couldn't be more? We went straight up to five and into a conference room where Hector was busy working. I left my bag by the door and walked up behind him interested in what he'd found. As he talked through what he was showing me I noticed that he was also printing it out.

"Tuesday morning, train station, police station, Investors Bank on Hamilton Avenue, Bar on Cleater Street then police station again. Wednesday morning she called in at the Bonds Office then an afternoon at the Mall. Thursday she worked here all day then went to her parents and Stivas. Friday was quiet, Bonds Office, her parents then she was at a nightclub, Rho Waterfront, Friday night. Saturday she stayed close to her apartment then was at Point Pleasant on Sunday, Stark Street Monday morning and McManimons bar Monday night followed by a visit to the station before going home. Tuesday I'd say she picked up another skip because she was on this street, O'Rourke Drive, most of the evening. The last place before her apartment was Hobsons Avenue on Wednesday morning"

"Tank was she here Tuesday morning?"  
"Yeah and she was early again"

"Morelli?"  
Tank laughed at me and then slapped me across the shoulder.

"Oh you'll love this. He's on vacation with the Mob Princess, they left late Monday night last week"

So when I called he'd already left, did she know then because she didn't seem at all upset when I called in to say goodbye.

"Yeah she knew, I asked Mary Lou the same thing and apparently it was Steph who saw them and asked Mary Lou to spread the word"  
So she wasn't upset or annoyed and that made me smile, but it didn't help in trying to find her.

"She must have got a new file from Connie on Monday and picked him up Monday night so maybe there was another one that would account for her surveillance of a house and then someplace on Hobsons Avenue. I'm heading to the Bonds Office, Santos?"

"With you"

I picked my bag up and ran up the stairs to seven, as I entered my apartment I couldn't help but remember the last time Steph had been here. Some of the men had decided to hit a nightclub and for some reason Santos had sent me a photo from his phone of Steph on the dance floor. She'd looked beautiful and sexy with a wild look in her eyes so I'd changed and headed out to meet them. I know Santos was surprised when I turned up but as I danced the night away with my Babe I knew I would have to thank him in the morning. She was absolutely hammered by the end of the night so much that when we walked out into the fresh air she passed out. I brought her here and relished the feelings as I slept with her in my arms. By the time she woke I had the cure for her and then we'd spent the afternoon curled up on the sofa watching films. I loved the feel that such a simple action brought to me but knew the moment she decided she needed to leave. Now the apartment felt empty without her, I had to find her so that we could curl up with each other again. Once in Cargos and T-shirt and fully dressed I found Santos in the garage and we headed out to the Bonds Office.

"You know Ranger she doesn't need to know you to find trouble, it has a habit of finding her"  
"I know and since that night at the club I've been trying to let her in"  
"I'm glad because you two were made for each other"  
I laughed at that as I thought of the two of us. Her the girl from the Burg so honest, trusting and loving and me, the badass Cuban. I parked in front of the office thinking how that would really piss Steph off and we walked in together.

"Ranger you're back, are you here to pick up the Rangeman files?"  
"No Connie I need to know which files Steph had that are outstanding"  
"Let me check"  
I felt Lula get up from the couch and come up behind me, I wondered what she would be doing with Steph not around.

"I gave her two on Monday, Douglas Norbert who she took in Monday night and Casper Huntington"

"Print me a copy of Huntington's file"

Lula now moved so that she was stood between me and Connie, I wasn't sure what she was up to.  
"She wanted to do some research on that one so I never did know what he was about"  
"When was the last time you saw her Lula?"  
"Monday night when we got hold of Norbert"

"Connie?"  
"Monday morning, she never did bring in the receipt for Norbert"

As Connie handed me the file Lula was desperately trying to see the inside of it.

"An she still owes me for Norbert"

I turned and walked out of the office with Santos behind me and decided where I needed to go next. Her apartment was quiet as I opened the door, and no I didn't need to pick the lock I'd had a key made from the one in Steph's bag. I went into the kitchen and checked the cookie jar realizing her gun wasn't there, had she taken it with her or had someone else removed it? I went quickly into her bedroom and there sat by the bed were the earrings I'd given to her for her birthday, she never took those off which I knew pissed Morelli, but if those were here then someone had taken them from her. A look in her closet revealed clothes missing as Tank had said, but she wouldn't have taken her old jeans or the jacket that was missing and I knew she had three of my T-shirts all of which were here.

"Ranger?"  
"Someone took her and tried to make it look as though she went on a vacation"  
"Why?"  
"I don't know but I sure as hell am gonna find out"

"We need to look at the last skip she had"

"Yeah. What did you think of how Lula behaved today?"

"Well if Beautiful didn't include her on the last file she'd be annoyed"  
"Why?"

"She gets a percentage of the find"

"You mean Steph pays her?"  
"Yes"

I didn't know what to think of that, I mean I knew Lula often helped Steph out, and in some ways that was a good thing; it meant there would be two of them together, though I'm sure Lula caused more problems with how she could behave. But why would Steph pay her when Lula got a paycheck from Vinnie?

Back at Rangeman I looked for Hector but he wasn't about and neither was he answering his phone so I went to see Tank in his office because there were other questions I needed to ask.

"Ranger did you find anything?"  
"I'm sure someone took her, but I don't know why"  
"Hell what next?"  
"Where's Hector?"

"He disappeared after you left"  
"Any idea where?"  
"No, but he didn't look happy, I'd say he's hit the streets"  
"What happened at Stivas?"  
"The owners were worried because they had Jimmy Colowski in the main room"

"I thought he died years ago"  
"Yeah well he attracted every mob boss in the area so we were there in case there was trouble"

"Steph?"  
"There with her Grandmother to see some old dear, but you know Mrs. Mazuur, she found her way into Colowski"  
"She didn't did she?"  
"No Steph got to her before she got to the casket. I tried to follow her home, man she has skills when she needs them"  
"She lost you?"  
"Yeah, but I caught her up and spoke to her at the apartment and she said everything was fine"  
"So Tuesday she was here working, I need to see what she was researching because I think she may have put a search in on her last skip"

I watched as Tank turned to his computer, all the core team had access to any of the men's login.

"Got it, what name are you looking for?"  
"Casper Huntington"  
"Yeah she ran a search but I don't know how the hell she ended up at either of those addresses"  
"She sees things we don't and follows her instincts. Who is he?"  
"Says he's an entrepreneur, but doesn't say what business he's into, no living relatives, no properties in his name, he's a ghost"  
"There'll be something that led her to that area. We don't know which house because there's a lot down that road and knowing her she could have parked on that road and walked round to one in the neighborhood"

"I suppose Hobsons Avenue could be the same?"  
"Yeah, though it's mainly small factories and warehouses down there"

I made to move and then realizing the time and the fact that Tank had covered for me all week tuned back to him.

"It's getting late you take off and I'll cover"  
"Ranger if Little Girl's missing I'm staying here, I'll use an apartment on four so call if you need me"  
"Thanks Tank"  
I went back to my office and started to read through the file Connie had given me. There wasn't much information, Huntington had run a red light and was stopped by the police, he'd been uncooperative so the officers had pulled him out of the car and a gun had fallen out with him, sloppy, he'd been sloppy driving with a gun on his knee. The photo wasn't brilliant but it showed a man in his thirties with dark brown wavy hair, and a beard, he wore glasses so because of the reflection of light it was impossible to see his eyes. He was described as 6ft4 weighing 350lbs and according to the police report he didn't have any previous convictions which was why his bail was low and Steph had ended up with it. I looked further and noticed he'd been driving a black BMW X5 SUV. He had to have access to money to have that car, unfortunately there was no plate recorded but there couldn't be many of those around here, I'd get Cal to see if he could chase it down tomorrow. I looked at the time and realized it was late; I was really worried about where Steph was and hoped she wasn't hurt, it was weird I'd never felt that she was in danger as I had done in the past. No way could I sleep so I picked up the files that Tank must have left in my office earlier in the week. My interest piqued as I read through Tank's initial report on a new client, Michael Colstaro had called Rangeman to ask for security, it would be a real money earner for us but then laughed when I saw what Steph had written in the margin of a search "Feels hinkey" the thing was though she was probably right. Tank recommended waiting until he could provide more information and where he would eventually base his business; that sounded like a reasonable compromise for the time being. I worked for another hour and then knew I needed some sleep but no way was I going up to the apartment, not with Steph missing, so I lay out on the couch and closed my eyes willing myself to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I knew someone was at the door and instantly came awake my gun in my hand ready for anything. I shook my head as I realized where I was and got up to open the door.

"Hector?"  
"Not good"  
He walked into the room and sat on one of the chairs by the couch so I followed his lead handing him a bottle of water off the table, waiting for him to talk, even for Hector he looked tired and was sat slouched over, so anything he had to say wasn't going to be good.

"Word on the streets is that there is a contract out on Estefania but when I followed that up there isn't"  
"I don't follow you"  
"Someone wants it out there about a contract as a distraction but I can't find out who or why"  
I stood up and walked over to the window just looking out over the roof tops, what the hell was going on? What had Steph fallen into and who had her? I turned back to Hector who for the first time looked defeated, I knew he liked Steph but I didn't realize just how much.

"Hector is there anything else on the streets?"  
"I think so, Jimmy Colowski has left a hole that many want to fill"  
"I didn't realize he still yielded so much power"  
"He tended to stay in the background and manipulate the others, in some ways he kept the power of play level, kept the peace, now there is a void to fill"  
"How on earth could Steph be in the middle of that?"  
"Jefe she won't even know what she's found, she was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time"

That gave me an idea.  
"So if we looked at the places she's been we might be able to find out what or who she saw?"  
"No, because we wouldn't know what she saw and maybe all the places have someone in them but not necessarily the same person"  
I think I understood what he meant but I still thought maybe I could try to follow up with people that she'd been with.

"Hector what are you going to do now"

"Sleep then I go back on the streets"  
"Be careful"  
I showered in the office bathroom and then dressed in jeans and a black sweater, for the person I wanted to talk to I didn't want them to feel intimidated. As I walked into the conference room information had appeared, Tank had obviously been in touch with Stivas and had a copy of the footage from their cameras and now we had a rogues gallery pinned to the board. I think every mob boss in the area had visited the place to pay his or her respects at some stage in the day. I recognized Grizoli and Harry, even Ramos was there along with Granaldy and even Jemerez had the nerve to turn up. Tank had also put up photos of men we didn't know and in the center was a photo of Steph as she was trying to get her Grandmother out of the room. I smiled as I looked at the expression on her face; there was a hint of worry but also a stance of determination. How I wished she were here with me now, safe. I gave Cal the information on the BMW asking him to try to find the owner then took the stairs down to the garage and then using an SUV headed out. I parked away from my destination preferring to walk to where I needed to go, that way I could be far more aware of what was around me. I spied her sitting on her bench exactly where Steph would have found her and yes I'd brought her some food that I'd got from the break room. As I sat down next to her she turned and looked me up and down.

"Where's my girl at?"  
"I don't know Eula, I was hoping you could help me find her"  
"She's missing?"  
"Yes"  
"I aint seen her since last week"  
"She saw something or someone here when she was with you, can you remember?"  
"Hell boy I think I've slept since then. I watch people as they come in here, every day, how they dress and behave, how they react and talk to people"  
She was eating a sandwich as she spoke and I could see her mind working as she stared over to the wall.

"Two men were stood there, they wanted to be what they weren't. All dressed up in their suits and black shiny shoes trying to look important. One of them followed Steph to the locker when she put my bags in, he had one next to hers, and then they waited for a train to arrive. They passed something to one who came off the platform and I'm sure he was at the locker when my young girl went to get my bags for me. Is that who you think has her?"  
"Maybe or they have something to do with it. Eula if I show you some photos would you tell me if one of them is one of these men?"  
"It'll cost you"  
"Anything Eula"  
"A meal and my dear girl back home"  
"I'll feed you for more than a day Eula and I want her back as well"  
She nodded her head so I took out my phone, I'd taken a photo of every man at Stivas that we didn't know. She looked and shook her head and then I saw her eyes light up as she pointed at the one currently on the phone.

"Him, he was one of the two but not the one who got the locker"

I smiled as I looked at the image in front of me, now I needed to know who he was and who he worked for.

"Eula are you here at this time every day?"  
"Usually as long as those officers don't try and move me on"  
"Then I'll make sure you have a meal"  
"Thank you Ranger, now go get our girl"

I left the station feeling that I had found something that might lead us to an answer and headed back to Rangeman, once in the conference room I highlighted the photo of the man Eula had identified with instructions to find him. I knew Hector might be a better source but if he was out on the streets I'd wait until he came back in. I turned as Tank came in and looked at the photo.

"I can run the tape and see who this one came in with or who he talked to but he's a new face to me"

"Thanks Tank. Is Bobby still up in Boston?"

"Yeah, he reported that he should be finished doing the medicals by mid week"

"Is the helicopter prepped?"  
"Should be, you want it here?"  
I thought about that and couldn't really come up with a reason why we would need it but for some reason I felt more comfortable knowing we had quick access to it.

"Yes, where is Santos anyway?"  
"He's checking feeds from any properties we have near Hobsons Avenue and O'Rourke Drive, we don't have anything near either of those bars"

"I'll talk to Santos"

I left the room and found Santos in his office in front of his computer looking quite forlorn, he looked up as I entered the room.

"Nothing, I thought maybe we might be able to see where she was parked or went but most of cameras don't reach onto the road"  
"It eliminates possibilities so it was worth doing for that"

"You find anything?"

"Yes, I spoke with Eula about when Steph was at the station, we may have a face of someone involved or it could just be a coincidence"  
"No such thing as coincidence"  
"Maybe, can you arrange for the helicopter to be here?"  
"You want Jay to stay here at Rangeman?"  
"Yes, he may not work in the field anymore but he has a good head on his shoulders for working things through"

"I'll call him up, then what?"

"You and I have a couple of bars to visit"

"I'll meet you in the garage in 30"

As I went up to seven I sent a message to Ella asking her to arrange for a patrol car to deliver Eula a meal every day until I said otherwise. I needed to change the clothes I was wearing; I needed a look that would blend in with the patrons of the bar. Ghetto Ranger, as Steph would call it, consisted of old black jeans and a faded green T-shirt, leather biker boots and an old leather jacket, because I needed to make sure both guns and the knife were out of sight. I finished the ensemble with studs in my ear and tied my hair back with a leather tie. I hadn't shaved this morning so that just added to the image and once ready headed for the garage. Santos wasn't there so I walked over to Steph's POS car, how the hell it was still going I didn't know, well I did; I'd asked Luis to check it out when she was here. Ram was squatted by the driver's door intent on something so I went and stood by the side looking down.

"Anything Ram?"

"The car's been wiped clean, I couldn't even find any prints that belonged to Steph but I'm sure the seat isn't in her usual driving position so I'm dusting for finger prints on the mechanism that slides the seat back and forth. People tend to forget they hold onto the underside of it so maybe who ever cleaned it up forgot as well"  
"Her bag?"

"It was in the passenger foot well, I'll take it upstairs when I've finished here"  
"Let me know if you find anything"

"Ranger you ready?"

I turned to see Santos stood by the red Landrover we used when we didn't want to be recognized, it might look like a heap of junk on the outside but underneath the fading paint and rust was a reinforced shell and an engine that could outrun any car on the road. As I climbed into the driver's seat I looked over at Santos pleased that he had tried to find a suitable disguise, though with his build and crew cut hair it wasn't as easy as one might think. He'd gone for faded blue denim jeans and boots with a large checked shirt over his T-shirt, he'd pass for what we needed. I drove in silence down to the first bar, in my zone, maybe, but I was really thinking of Steph and where she might be, if she was being held somewhere they'd have a job keeping her locked up. If nothing else she was creative in finding her way out of places she didn't want to be. The first bar was fairly quiet and not what I expected, it was clean and tidy but a glimpse at the clientele reminded me of who Steph was after when she came here. We sat at the bar and ordered a beer each and when the bar keeper came back I struck up a conversation with him.

"Do you remember seeing this woman in here last Tuesday?"  
He looked at the photo of Steph and then shook his head.

"She would have come in with a large black woman, dressed in bright lycra clothing"

"Hell I remember her, she was real loud and real brash; the guys didn't know what to make of her. Yeah I remember now, that girl there was sat with some wannabe in one of the booths, aint seen him again though"

"Were there any men in here that aren't regulars?"  
"Nah, I mean look at who comes in here"  
I looked around the bar and took in the appearance of some of them, I'd say they were mainly men dressed up as women though I had to admit some looked attractive with how they'd managed to change their appearance. I finished my beer and nodded to Santos indicating that we needed to leave. Once back inside the car I turned to him, if nothing else Santos was as good as me at reading people.

"Nah, Ranger, not the type of place to attract someone we're after, I think she was just there to pick up a skip"  
"Yeah she mentioned someone called Clarence, young kid, who was lost"

"She ended up befriending him didn't she?"  
I laughed at that because that was exactly what she'd done, only my Babe would do that.

I started the car and headed to the next place, McManimons, this place was a rougher place and I was sure that this place might be more productive. I parked up and we walked inside, even with the poor lighting it looked dirty and dingy and I wasn't sure if Steph would have come into here or waited outside to pick up her skip. Douglas Norbert was a drunk who became violent with the first set of drinks and then slipped into a drunken stupor so yeah I think she would have waited for him to come outside before trying to tackle him. Again we sat at the bar and ordered beers watching the men who were here through the mirror behind the bar. It was loud and noisy with men talking and the jukebox playing. I watched as two men came in and disappeared through a door at the back, was this a place that offered an anonymous meeting place? I knew some of the restaurants did and some bars that were used for meetings but I'd never come across this place before. I caught the attention of Santos in the mirror and nodded toward the door watching as he got up and walked out of the entrance. We each knew what the other was thinking, he'd go round the back and try to get access to where ever the door led to. I stood up and made for the door but was suddenly blocked by the barkeeper.

"Aint no reason for you to be going through there"

"I was looking for the rest room and saw two men walk through here"  
"Restrooms are at the other side, over there"  
"So what goes on in here?"  
"Private function"

I wasn't going to make a scene here and now but felt sure that maybe Steph had seen someone come in here, or they had seen her watching the bar. I left the bar and waited for Santos to return, he was grinning as he climbed into the seat next to me.  
"There's a room back there where those men went into but there was no one else that I could see. It was big enough for a meeting place, table and chairs set out"

"What did they do?"

"Opened a safe and took out a load of money and then sat down and started to count it out"  
"Could it be a drop off place?"  
"Could be, I couldn't see anything else in the safe"

"I'll get a surveillance team on it"

It was getting late as we headed back to Rangeman but at least now I felt I knew where Steph may have been when she could have come to someone's attention, but how it all tied together still alluded me. Once on five I headed to the conference room to catch up with what had been reported, everyone knew if I wasn't around to pin their report to the board and use a red sticky label to highlight it, once I'd read the report I would remove the label. Ram had completed looking at Steph's car but the only prints he'd found were smudged though they did indicate that who ever they belonged to had large hands, no other prints and nothing to enable a DNA sample to be tested. The mileage didn't compare with where she'd been at least when compared to the tracker in her bag but I knew that she often rode with Lula in the Firebird. The helicopter was now readied and on the roof here at Rangeman and Jay was now in an apartment on four ready and waiting when the need arose. There was nothing from Hector which could be a good or bad sign, when he was on the streets he rarely communicated back unless he felt it was an emergency. I wrote down orders for Tank to set up a rota for surveillance on McManimons bar but was of the mind that it wouldn't be used again, rarely was a place used more than once or twice, they'd have other places for drops and maybe on her comings and goings Steph had inadvertently stumbled across one. I sat down at a computer and wrote a report of what Santos and I had done today, once printed I pinned it to the board with a blue sticky note indicating that the men would need to read it. I sat back down leaning my head against the head rest trying to work out what to do next, I could only hope that maybe Steph would come through and contact me somehow but I wasn't feeling optimistic about that. By our reckoning she'd been gone for over three days now. I went to my office and showered redressing in cargos and T-shirt and then was again laid on the couch, ready to move in an instant, but knowing I needed to be rested to be any good to anyone.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

When I woke I knew my sleep had been plagued with dreams, and not the usual ones I carried from missions, they seemed to be of the times I'd spent trying to find my Babe. The house that Stiva owned, combing through the factory where Cone was based and Scrogg, and that I think was the worst for me because I knew that she had so heartlessly put herself in danger in order to find Julie. Each time I was running in circles and when I reached where she had been she wasn't there. I went into the bathroom to freshen up suddenly aware that someone had come into the office and heard Santos shouting out for me and by the tone of his voice it was something important.

"It's Hector, he's badly injured"  
"Where is he"  
"St Francis"

We ran down to the garage and then I drove quickly through the streets to get to the hospital, with Bobby being in Boston it was important to have someone here straight away. At the desk a young nurse turned my way and I knew straight away the way to get to Hector.

"My name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso and I understand a friend was brought in?"  
"What name?"  
"Horacio Randle"

That was the name that Hector had set up as a cover when he was on the streets and very few people knew of it. I leaned against the counter and smiled at her making sure she was aware of how I was looking at her, it worked like a charm because as I walked away I had the room number for Hector. I walked with Santos down the corridor, most people who worked here knew me so didn't try to stop me, at the door to Hector's room I saw one of the doctors who would normally treat my men.

"Ranger, one of yours?"  
"Yes"  
"He was lucky, someone had him in their sights, bullet through and through on the shoulder, one in the thigh and another skimmed his neck. He's sedated for now but he should be fine"  
"When do you expect him to be conscious?"  
"Few hours yet and before you ask he'll be here for a few days. Where's Brown?"  
"At another office"  
"Shame he could be out sooner if I knew your medic was around""If you get the paperwork to me I'll get it sorted"

As I turned I knew Santos was calling for a guard rota to be set up, I couldn't even come up with what he may have stumbled on.

"Sorted"  
"Good who's here first?"  
"Miguel and Cal"  
"We'll wait till they get here. How did you know?"  
"About Hector?"

"Yes"  
"Shorty was at the market and saw him go down"  
"Did he see who did it?"  
"No, he reckons a gunman from one of the rooftops"

"Shit"  
I felt angry and frustrated not knowing what the hell was going on, I needed to do two things, beat the shit out of something and find my babe, because now I was really worried about her. Having completed the paperwork I ended up sat in Hector's room until Miguel and Cal arrived insisting they were both inside, that way they were less likely to attract attention.

"Cal when he wakes up let me, Santos or Tank know"  
We returned to Rangeman and I went straight to the gym, there was no way Santos would come with me though, he knew my moods and when I was in one he would end up getting hurt, so I took out my rage on the bag until I felt Tank standing behind me.

"He's awake and he's pissed"

"We need to get him out of there"  
"I agree, I've had the medic from Miami fly up here, should be here in 30 minutes"  
"That'll please Brown"  
I shook my head at the problems that might cause but at the moment it wasn't important. I quickly showered and changed and was soon back at the hospital with Tank by my side.

"Ranger do we need to go to level 1 at Rangeman?"  
"Yes. Let's see what Hector has to say, maybe he saw something or someone"

Hector was laid propped up on the bed with the usual tubes and monitoring devices attached, the only person I knew who hated hospitals as much as Hector was Steph, and by the look on his face he was definitely pissed about something.

"Hector how are you feeling?"

"Enfadado"

"Explain"  
"I was watching market area because there was man in suit just waiting. I saw another at the bread stall, picking up and putting down a loaf, then when he walked away the man went to buy the loaf"  
"A drop off?"  
"Si. As I made to follow, boom"

"Did you recognize the men?"  
"One I would know again, the other I only saw from behind which is why I chose to follow him and what ever he was picking up"  
I saw his eyes go wide and followed the direction he was looking in and I suppose the sight would make someone look twice.

"George, glad you could make it"  
"Well Tank said you had an emergency up here, so what do you need to happen?"  
"I need Hector secure inside Rangeman"

"Okay leave it with me, I have men with me so you run along and do what you need to do"  
I left with Tank, glad to get away, don't get me wrong George was an excellent medic, maybe not as good as Brown, but it was George himself who could irritate the hell out of me and a lot of others. He'd found his niche in Miami, loved the area and for some reason managed to get on with the other men in the office. I'm sure though that Tank was laughing as we left the hospital and walked over to the car.

"Hey look on the bright side, maybe he'll leave you alone once Hector figures him out"

Yeah you guessed, George was bisexual and when he had first joined Rangeman he had a girlfriend, well when that fell apart I took pity on him and that resulted in him trying his best to hitch up to me. Maybe him and Hector would make an ideal couple, who knows? It was already early evening when we got back to Rangeman and I felt like I hadn't made any progress at all, as we made our way up to five and the conference room I suddenly remembered that Tank was going to look at the feeds from Stivas of that man.

"Tank did you find that man on the feed?"  
"Yeah, but he didn't arrive or leave with anyone and he didn't talk to anyone, no one even acknowledged him it was as though he was a complete stranger in there"  
"No sign of a drop off?"  
"Not that I could see"

"Do we need a conversation with Juniak?"  
"And tell him what? We don't the who, why or even have any proof that's some things going down"  
I was back to feeling like hitting the bag again. Nothing new was on the boards, I could see the computers going through face recognition programs but unless the face was already in the system that could draw a blank as well, no sign of the BMW, so how the hell had Steph ended up at those last two addresses? I needed to do something and as I'd agreed to a level 1 alert that meant no one went from the building alone so I messaged Santos to see if he would ride with me, after all he'd looked at the footage from properties we monitored so he'd know which ones wouldn't be the ones we were looking for. We spent several hours driving around the area near O'Rourke Drive, but as we didn't know what to look for that was a waste of time. Next were the warehouses on Hobsons Avenue, a recent development with nearly half of them still for sale or to rent. Of the ones occupied they were quiet, no movement of vehicles or people and there seemed to be poor security around them, nothing to indicate that something illegal was happening.

"Ranger I hate to say it but this is a waste of time, we have to have an exact address and how the hell Steph found one is beyond me at the moment"  
I nodded and turned the car round and headed to Rangeman, I would spend some time looking at what Steph had looked at and see if I could somehow see what she saw. At some stupid hour in the morning I gave up, I just couldn't find anything so again found myself on the couch dreaming those dreams of not being able to find my Babe.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I woke early in the morning and decided to go to the gym for a long workout, I was just emerging from the bathroom in my office feeling decidedly better when I heard a ruckus coming from the conference room, I almost ran to get in there and looked from Santos to Tank for some sort of explanation, Santos stood forward waving a piece of paper in front of me.

"Ranger, we have her"  
"Where?"  
"Would you believe Boston?"  
"I don't understand"  
"Chet just called, they had a call come into reception from someone calling themselves Stephanie to get a message to you or Tank. She's at a soup kitchen by the train station"

I quickly got out my phone to call Jay to get to the helicopter.

"Jay's up there already and I've got Ram and Cal with us. Chet sent Brown and Damien to the place to find her, she knows Brown so she's more likely to go to him"  
By now we'd reached the roof and I could hear the engine of the helicopter and the speeding up of the rotary blades, Ram and Cal were already on board so as soon as Santos and I clipped on our seat belts we took to the air.  
"I've logged the flight for the fastest route so it should only take us about 50 minutes, Rangeman Boston are expecting us"

The noise was too loud to allow for talking and to be honest I didn't want to talk a relief so deep had taken over me when I'd heard the news from Boston but now as we were approaching the outskirts of the city I felt a different sense take over. For some reason I just knew that there was going to be bad news waiting for us and judging by Chet's face as he stood prepared to meet us I knew I was right. I had the door open and dropped from the helicopter ducking low and moving to the front heading toward him and then into the quieter area of the stairwell.

"Brown called, she wasn't there, but he spoke with one of the women who works there and she confirmed that Steph had been sleeping in the back room. He's scouting the area for her now"  
"Something spooked her because she wouldn't run if she thought we were on our way"  
"I've alerted everyone out on patrol to be on the look out for her, but to be honest if she's hiding she could be anywhere"  
We'd reached the main office area by now which here at Boston was on level four and I moved down toward the monitoring room.

"Jake pull up a map of Boston and highlight the station and us"  
He did as I asked and as I stood looking at the map Santos came in and stood next to me.

"You think she'll head for here?"  
"I think she would. Jake how long would it take for someone to walk from the station to here?"  
"I'd say maybe 40 minutes if they walked quickly"  
"She wouldn't be walking that fast, Chet how long ago since Brown called?"  
"50 minutes"

I put a call through to Brown.

"No sign Ranger"  
"Start to walk toward Rangeman take parallel streets but be sure to check any alley ways in case she's hiding out"  
"Jake pull up all perimeter cameras on the building"

"Chet go to level 1 preparedness"

"Santos stay here with Jake and keep an eye on the perimeter cameras"  
"What you thinking Ranger?"  
"If whoever is after her knows her tie to us then they may well head here first to ambush her"  
"Where will you be?"  
"Outside. Go to level 2 if you see anything suspicious. Mics and buds all round"

I quickly went to the closet in my office and pulled out a vest then checked my weapons as I ran down the stairs coming out on the ground floor behind reception; I knew the man here but was surprised when I saw Jay sat next to him. He looked up as I entered.

"I've filled him in and made sure that we have all the cameras in the area on screen"  
I nodded to him as I exited the building and made my way down the street and into an alley. Was I surprised with Jay? Maybe, but one of his skills was his ability with communications equipment and hacking into systems. He was a dam good pilot and had been a dam good soldier until his plane had been taken out on a recon job. He'd struggled with the physical injuries but it was the mental issues that had him taking an early retirement. He just didn't trust anyone and as he became more paranoid he closed himself off. I came across him when we decided we needed access to a pilot, in that position he knew he was in control because part of his paranoia was that the ambush was due to Intel being leaked. I watched as I stood in the alley, the street ,the sidewalk and people coming from buildings, all seemed quiet until I saw a black Toyota stop down the street and watched four men get out and scatter into the nearby vicinity, then I heard the level 2 warning emitting from my phone. That would put into place a self-defense mode where all men on duty would don Kevlar, arm them selves and then head to pre determined places on the perimeter of the building. An update came through from Santos.

"Ranger we're seeing a Toyota SUV and men getting out and spreading"  
"I have eyes on four men from here"

"They're using radios"  
"Let Jay know"  
"Where is he?"  
"Reception"

"Jay here, I'm linking into their frequency now, we should be able to hear their conversations"

I didn't need to hear their conversations to sense that Steph was near, she was being very cautious as she waited in the darkness of an alley on the opposite side of the road but I knew there were at least three men closer to her than I was.

"Ranger she's in the alley opposite the building. One bandit behind her and two about to turn the corner onto the street but I don't have an eye on the fourth"  
"Reinforcements on route, they're coming up behind the two men"  
I needed to get to Steph before anyone else, she didn't seem to be aware of the men that were closing in on her, so coming out of the alley I walked down the street for twenty foot and began to dodge the cars to get to the other side, all the time keeping my eyes on where I knew she was. As I reached half way across the road I saw her move, shit she was going to make a run for Rangeman.

"Santos she's making her move to get across the street"  
As I veered to my left to meet with her there was the sound of a car gunning it's engine and I was aware of another vehicle heading our way, men were running onto the road guns held in their hands and from their behavior they weren't Rangemen. I increased my speed as bullets began to fly my eyes intent on Steph, I knew the moment she saw me, because for some reason she faltered and then as she stepped forward she fell landing heavily on the tarmac. I was there in an instant protecting her body under mine now totally unaware of what was going on around me, all that was important right now was the woman below me. I knew the sound from the gun fire had stopped but still remained where I was, all that concerned me was that nothing and no one could get through to her. I felt someone try to push me away from her and reflexively brought my gun to their head only to see Brown knelt down beside me his hands held up in the air.

"Let me see her Ranger"

I came to a kneeling position my eyes never leaving her and watched as Brown did a cursory examination, he checked her head and then moved his hand down her neck and back, all I felt was an overwhelming desire to just pick her up and get us out of here, as I allowed myself to look further around there was a wall of black surrounding us, men in Rangeman uniform standing chest to chest facing any threat that might be there.

"Okay Ranger take her inside where I can see what injuries she has, her neck and back are good and she doesn't have any extensive bleeding, maybe a knock to the head when she fell"

I placed an arm around her shoulders and with one under her knees lifted her from the road, Brown held her head and then leaned it against my chest, then as one we all moved back toward the Rangeman building, if there was chaos on the street I didn't see it or hear it I was focused on ensuring that my hold was firm looking down at my Babe. She looked so tired and not once did she make a sound or move, I just prayed that she wasn't badly injured. Once in the infirmary I placed her carefully onto the bed sweeping a curl from her cheek to behind her ear. Brown began to remove her coat which brought a cry from her mouth, she was getting agitated at the movement, I bent down with my face next to hers kissing her cheek and whispering into her ear.

"Babe you're safe, no one's going to hurt you"

As she settled I watched as Brown removed the jacket and placed it on the chair then as he cut the T-shirt from her. Shit she had bruises on the right side of her body and they looked new. Brown felt around her ribcage but didn't seem concerned.

"Just bruised, no breakages, but they seem very recent. Ranger she seems hot and clammy, I thought it was because she was running with that thick coat on, but now I'm not so sure"

As Brown pulled a sheet up to cover her body I removed her boots and then watched as he cut away the jeans up each leg, as her socks were pulled off we both noticed a bandage on her ankle at the same time. As Brown removed it I'm sure he swore and as the last part came away I could see why. Her ankle was red and swollen with blisters that were oozing from what looked like an infection; I turned to Brown waiting for him to explain the implications of what we were seeing.

"I don't know what caused this, I'd hazard a guess at maybe a shackle but whatever it was caused a severe reaction which then got infected"

As I looked at her leg I could see red streaks under the skin and my mind immediately brought a word to my mouth.

"Sepsis?"

"Yes, that accounts for the fever. I need to get some antibiotics into her. She seems to have lost weight as well which won't help if she's run down"

I watched as he bathed her ankle and applied cream then raise her foot on a pillow. Next he swabbed her arm and inserted a catheter through her skin into the vein from where the tube from a bag was attached, I knew she wouldn't be pleased with that but it had to be done. An examination of her head revealed a small bump on the side not anything to be worried about, I helped to bathe her arms and legs and then while Brown managed the IV I dressed her in one of my T-shirts and shorts.

"Bobby why is she unconscious if the head wound is minimal?"  
"I think she's exhausted, she's dehydrated and I would say she hasn't been eating, which for Steph with her metabolism can knock her for six add onto that the infection and possibly sepsis and not forgetting the stress she's been under. Give her time Ranger, she'll be fine"

I spent my time with Steph in the infirmary; I wasn't ready to leave her yet. When men came in to give me updates I moved to the office attached but always had an eye on my Babe or asked Santos or Brown to sit with her. I was interested in the outcome from today's activities on the street outside the building because I was hoping for some answers.

"Chet have you got a report for me?"  
"Yes but you aren't going to like it"  
I didn't answer but looked over into the infirmary waiting for him to continue.

"Okay, two men were detained but on questioning they were hired today and apart from the job given to them, return a man's runaway daughter, they don't know who hired them"  
"How did they get paid?"  
"Cash"

"Go on"

"Well that second vehicle that came out of nowhere, the men from there weren't firing at Miss Plum or you, they were firing at the other men"  
"You mean they actually helped us?"  
"Yes, but they disappeared as fast as they came"

"Camera feeds?"  
"We have some of them but they were wearing masks"

Shit, what the hell was going on? Were there two groups out there who were after Steph, but why? What could she possibly have seen or know to cause this type of mayhem?

"Keep looking through the feeds, but keep us at level 1"

I went back to sit with my Babe, her skin seemed to be cooler and was taking on a better color, the bag was almost empty so Brown would need to decide whether or not to replace it, but for the first time in days I felt relieved, my Babe was safe here with me and from what Bobby had said she would quickly recover. I sat on a chair next to her thinking through my feelings when I found out she was missing, now that she was here with me I had to tell her how I felt and just hoped that with all the stupid things I'd said as excuses she would let me in, let me really love her as she deserved to be loved, that I wasn't too late and she would forgive me. As the day turned to night I felt her hand moving in mine, she was waking up.

"Babe, everything's okay, you're safe in Rangeman, and I'm with you"

Her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, Brown had turned the lights down so they wouldn't be too bright for her.  
"Ranger?"  
"I'm here Babe, open your eyes and look at me"  
Her eyes opened and I had those beautiful blue eyes looking into mine.

"Are we safe?"  
"Yes, you've had a hard time but Bobby's fixing you up"  
"Bobby? I thought I was in Boston?"  
"You are, you got a message to us and you got yourself here"  
"I'm in so much trouble"  
"Why?"  
"The FBI, I ran away from the FBI"

"Are you sure?"  
"No"

And with that statement tears began to stream down her face, I held her face in my hands wiping her cheeks with my thumbs and then as I sat next to her on the bed pulled her close to me her face next to mine and my hands now cradling her head.

"Babe, don't cry, you're here with me and we can get through this"  
I could sense her trying to calm herself down and pull away looking at the IV in her arm, ah shit now she was going to get mad.

"What's wrong with me?"  
"Your ankle was infected. Babe what caused that?"  
"They put a dam electronic bracelet on me and I must have reacted badly to whatever it was made from"

"How did you get it off?"  
"My ankle swelled so much he had to get another one so I kinda took the key and then tricked him so I could loosen it over the bandage and then slide it off"  
"I knew you'd manage to get away. What happened at the soup kitchen? Bobby was on his way and you'd gone?"  
"I went to the restroom but saw Stretch looking round so I used the back exit"  
"Stretch?"  
"Yeah, he was the one keeping me in the house"

"Babe you need to rest and then we'll talk and figure it out"

I slid onto the bed next to her holding her to me listening to her breathing and feeling her relax, when I was sure she was asleep I closed my eyes and allowed myself to follow.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I felt the instant that Steph began to come around and was watching her face as her eyelids fluttered open and her eyes looked back at me so as I smiled I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Morning Ranger"  
"You seem better, how are you feeling?"  
"Good, when did the IV come out?"  
"Bobby took it out during the night but he has some antibiotics that you have to take"  
"Okay, I need to get up"

She started to try and move but I could see that she was still in pain, probably the bruising to her ribs, which I wanted to know how she'd got. I helped her from the bed, watching as she tentatively put her foot to the floor and when she was sure it would take her weight I helped her with an arm around her waist to move into the bathroom. I was waiting as she came out of the door and helped her to sit on the bed.

"What do you want to do Babe?"  
"I don't know"

"Why don't we go up to the apartment here because you still need to recover"  
"I know that but I need to know what's going on"

"A lots happening but we don't know who or why"  
"Well you probably know more than me"  
"Babe someone thinks you know something, or saw someone, do you have any idea what?"  
"No. I started to write down details about the places they questioned me about"  
"Where is it Babe"  
"In my coat pocket"  
I brought the coat over and then handed it to her watching as she retrieved a large poetry book and held it close, I was still watching her as thoughts flew through her mind, her expression changed telling me she'd made a decision.

"Can we go to your apartment?"  
"Of course"

"Would you tell me what you know?"  
"Of course"  
I pulled a robe around her and then with one arm below her knees lifted her up and carried her to the elevator. I used my fob and we went up to level six, watching the curious look passing across her face, she seemed even more surprised when we entered the apartment. In some ways it was similar to the one in Trenton, the color scheme and the kitchen were the same but the layout of the rooms was different. It was larger, the lounge area had two couches and the dining area had more chairs around a round table. I carried her through to the bedroom as she looked around at the large bed and side tables and a small couch and table next to a large window, then I lowered her to stand up, she went to the bed touching the dark blue cover and then sat on the side, pulling herself up to lean against the headboard. I took off my shoes and joined her, an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me, it felt so good, the feel of her body against mine. It felt such a normal action for me to do but I could sense that Steph was unnerved and was just staring down at the book in her hands.

"What's wrong Babe?"  
"I don't know if I can do this"  
"Do what?"  
"Be here"  
"Talk to me Babe"  
She turned to look at me biting her bottom lip so I pulled it gently from her mouth. I knew she was anxious and to be honest so was I, I mean in my own head this was easy to do wasn't it, but I had to believe that she felt the same for me as I did for her so taking a deep breath I allowed my heart to speak for me.  
"Babe I know I've kept you at arms length, I had my reasons when I did it, but I don't want to do it any more"  
"Is that why you called me when you were away?"  
"Yes, I want you to know that I'm ready to acknowledge how much you mean to me, I think we already have a relationship and I like it"

She just looked at me, her face was showing disbelief and when she didn't say anything I knew I had to get through to her. I moved to sit in front of her, I'm sure she was worried and then lent in toward her and kissed her on her lips, very gently trying to show how much she meant to me and then leaned back.

"Babe, talk to me, please"  
Her eyes were watering and I was lost for words, she didn't feel the same, shit how could I live without her, it had never really occurred to me that she would reject me, as I went to move further away from her she grabbed me around my neck and pulled me in to her, my arms encircled her as she buried her face in to my neck.  
"I want this Ranger, you know I do, I'm just still a bit wary to open my heart to you, you once said I held all the power, but at this moment you have the power to totally destroy me"  
"Babe I will never hurt you, I love you too much to do that"

I held on tighter not wanting to lose the feel of her against me, relishing the sense of happiness that was seeping in. She could trust what I had said, and I would tell her every day just how much I loved her, I heard her take a deep breath as she turned so her mouth was against my ear.

"I love you, I have for some time"

I hugged her tighter and then felt as she drew in a breath, she was holding her side and there was a look of pain across her face, shit had I hurt her. I released her and holding her shoulders looked at her.

"Did I hurt you?"  
"No, but my side hurts"  
"You have bruises on your ribs, how did you get them?"  
"After I left the soup kitchen I asked one of the people waiting outside for directions to get to the street Rangeman was on, after walking a while I felt really ill and had to sit down, so I found some steps at the back of a restaurant. Someone came out and shouted at me but when I didn't move he kicked me in my side so I ended up falling down the steps"  
"My poor Babe, you've had a tough time haven't you?"  
"I suppose so"

"Do you need to rest a while longer"  
She shook her head and started to open the book.  
"Let's look at your book and as we read it I can fill you in on what we found out"  
We read the book together wrapped in each other's arms, I couldn't believe how much Steph had remembered seeing. As for her visit to Stivas she only remembered seeing Grizoli and Alexander Ramos and I knew three of the others that were there. When she heard what we'd found out about McManimons bar it gave context to her seeing the man at the Mall, it had been another drop off as was the train station locker. Saturday wasn't important because she said she hadn't been asked about that day but she couldn't remember seeing anyone on Sunday at Point Pleasant, she'd been too busy enjoying herself and hadn't taken any notice of the people around her. I watched as she frowned, there was something annoying her.

"I don't understand these drop off places, I mean why so many and what are they dropping off?"

"It could be information or instructions and the one at the bar seemed to be a payment"

"So could it be the FBI who were keeping me locked up?"  
"I don't know and even if I tried to find out they wouldn't say anything, they never do when it's an ongoing case"

"How did they know I was at that soup kitchen?"  
"Jay found a tracker in something you were wearing"

She blushed at that and I realized she wouldn't like the idea of someone sneaking a tracker on her, hell she hated that I put them in her bag and on her car.  
"Shit I never thought of that"

I went back to thinking, feeling really comfortable wrapped around Steph, when she went quiet I watched as she began to relax and closed her eyes drifting off to sleep,

she was exhausted and needed her sleep. I gently lowered her down onto the bed pulling up the cover over her, I didn't want to leave her just yet and just lay there with my arms around her soaking up the feeling that brought. Once she was into a deep sleep I slipped from the bed and went into the office leaving the door ajar so that I could see her, I knew Tank had been trying to reach me so I had some time to catch up with him.

"How is she?"  
"Resting"  
"Well go on"  
"She's not been eating and picked up an infection, the bastards put an electronic tag on her ankle that she reacted badly to"  
"She got it off?"  
"Yeah, but there was a tracker on her, that's how they knew where she was"

"Do you know who had her?"  
"They told her they were FBI"

"Shit, do you think they were?"  
"No idea"  
"You worked out what she saw?"  
"Drop offs"

"And the last two addresses?"  
"Not got that far yet, I'll wait till she wakes up and then maybe we can talk on the video link. How's Hector?"  
"He's here, but won't rest, I think even George has given up on him"  
"Anything else happening?"  
"No, it's too quiet Ranger"  
"I know, I'll talk later then we can decide what to do next"  
I heard the knock on the door and walked through the bedroom, Steph was still quietly sleeping, and opened the door to the apartment, Santos and Jay were waiting patiently outside, I turned and picked up some bottles of water from the fridge and went and sat down on the couch so that I could see into the bedroom.

"How is she?"  
"Resting"

"We checked the feeds again to try to get images of any faces that were around, the two men we caught have been picked up by the police and they'll be charged. It's real weird though because when we tried to identify anything from the vehicles they'd both been reported as stolen, one from a car rental agency in south Boston, the other from a parking area in the city"  
"I'm in the process of hacking into the sat nav system of the rental car so I can see where they've been and where they went"  
"Jay is the helicopter traceable?"  
"No, never has been"

"Be sure it's fueled up and ready, I'm not sure yet what we're going to go"

"Already is"

"Where would you take Steph?"  
"She needs to be part of this so she'll stay with us"

"Call when you need me"  
As they left I lent my head back onto the couch thinking through what the best thing to do would be. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes when I heard movement from the bedroom, quietly I moved and stood in the doorway watching Steph as she tried to sit up and get up from the bed.

"You going somewhere?"  
I'm sure she jumped at the sound of my voice but the look on her face wasn't annoyance it was confusion. I walked over and squatted down in front of her my hands on either side of her face.

"What's wrong Babe?"  
"Was I dreaming?"  
I knew as soon as she answered that she doubted what we'd spoken about, doubted that I had really opened up to her.

"No, I love you Querida, never ever doubt that"

She smiled at me her facial expression changing immediately and ran a hand down my cheek.

"You may have to keep saying that"  
"Te amo mi amor"

"I love you too"  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Achy, but I think it's because I've slept so long"

"Do you want your meal in bed or do you want to get up?"

I could play the game of giving her choices as long as she started to eat properly I didn't mind where.

"I'll get up"  
I stood up and went to the closet bringing out underwear for her, joggers and one of my T-shirts, I'm sure she was trying to figure out where they had come from, it was her facial expressions that gave away her thoughts.

"I have clothes here for you"  
"Why?"  
"For when we came here"  
"Oh"

"Do you want to shower?"  
She nodded her head and stood up slowly testing her weight on her foot, her lips curled into a small smile as she started to walk, and then looked up at me.  
"What?"  
"Your ankle seems better"  
"Yeah, I can walk on it now"  
"You okay on your own?"  
She nodded her head and walked past me into the bathroom, I'd made sure to have a supply of Bulgari at all the offices. I went through to the kitchen and pulled out the dishes from the oven, Ella wasn't here but we had a chef called Justin who was just as good, though I didn't think he'd provide Steph with the desserts as Ella did. I set plates on the table and then sat at the kitchen bar waiting and watching for Steph to emerge. When she did appear she looked more confident, her cheeks had color in them and the dark circles under her eyes were receding. We sat at the table and helped ourselves to the grilled chicken and rice, I wanted her to eat and had asked Justin for something that would be tasty but simple. She took a spoonful and slowly started to eat and then as she finished she helped herself to a little more.

"So is there someone like Ella here?"  
"We have a chef that does all of the food and then a couple of women come in twice a week to clean and do laundry"

"That was delicious"  
"Babe did they feed you at that house?"  
"Yes but it was mainly take-outs or what was in the freezer. He served up Thai Green Chicken one night, he said he'd found in the freezer, I was so ill from that, I've never been that ill before from food"

"Everything here is freshly cooked so you don't have to worry about being ill again"  
"Who knows I'm here?"  
"Only the men who were working to find you"  
"I suppose I should finish writing down what I remember of Monday and Tuesday"  
"Babe how did you end up on O'Rourke Drive?"  
"How do you know I was there?"

"When you went missing Tank asked Hector to pull up a history of your trackers, that's how I knew to go and talk to Eula"

Her head went down and she bit her bottom lip, what on earth could she be worried about?

"Babe I don't care how you found it, but I'm really curious how you did"

"Well I ran a search on Casper and came up with nothing, there was nothing in the file so I went to see Eddie"  
"Eddie?"  
"Yeah, he's monitoring the officer who made the arrest"  
"Go on"

"Well Eddie got the officer to talk with me and between us he managed to remember part of the plate and the fact that it had been modified"  
"How had it been modified?"  
"You name it he had it, aerodynamic kit, bumper trims, carbon diffuser all sorts of things, I don't even know what half of them were, but boy did that officer know. So I called Denise who I used to go to school with because she works at the main BMW dealership now. Well, I kinda told a white lie"  
"Go on, it can't be that bad, can it?"  
"I told her he'd hit the car I was driving and it was one of your Porsches"  
"I like it"  
"Anyhow when I gave her the spec for the car she just used her computer and found there was only one that had been sold like that in the area through another garage and she gave me the address"

I'm sure that we would never have got to that information, how she worked through a problem was unbelievable.

"Babe what happened at that address?"  
"I only parked on O'Rourke Drive, then I walked through to Back Creek Road"

"So that's where the BMW was?"  
"Yeah, it was there along with a load of others"  
"Babe how did you think you'd take your skip in?"  
"Oh I had no intention of doing that, I just wanted to find out if he really lived there and then maybe go back the next day"  
"Did anyone see you?"

"I don't think so but they obviously saw my car so maybe they knew I was around"  
"Did you see anyone?"  
"Err, not exactly"  
"Babe?"  
"Well I was on the grounds trying to see inside when someone came out so I hid"  
"Where?"  
"In a shed, they didn't know I was there"

"What did you hear?"  
"They were talking about a contract for some work being done and that one of them would be at the factory in the morning to check it out"

"No address? So how did you know where the factory was?"  
"I got up real early and when the BMW came out from the house I followed him"  
"Do you know which factory?"  
"He drove into unit 19 on Hobsons Avenue. But I didn't even have a chance to get out of the car before I was yanked out by men who flashed badges and said they were FBI"

I looked at how she was sitting and realized that her shoulders were slumped down and her head was low, did she think I would be annoyed at her?  
"Babe I'm proud of you, you did a brilliant job of finding him but you just didn't know how deep it could get. Hell from the info in the file your skip was a first time offender"  
I knew I'd said the right thing when she looked up into my face.

"You don't think I'm stupid or incompetent?"  
"Of course not, how else does Vinnie expect you to find the skips?"  
"Yeah well no way was I taking Lula"

"And that's the main issue, you really should have someone with you who can watch your back"  
"So what now?"  
"Let's go talk to Tank and if you feel up to it you can run some searches on those addresses and find out who lives there and owns the unit"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Steph stayed really close to me as we went down in the lift getting off on level 4, I suppose I forgot that she didn't know this building or the men who worked here and was probably nervous. There were men watching the monitoring cameras, maybe there were more men there than usual but I knew Chet was still keeping surveillance on the perimeter of the building. We walked down the hall and into a large conference room and as I sat at the head of the table I pulled Steph down to sit to my left. I looked up as people began to come in, and as someone closed the door and sat down I saw that as my cue to start the meeting.

"Chet"  
"We're at level 1, I have an extra man watching the perimeter cameras but there's been no unusual activity"  
"Santos"  
"The police confirmed that the two men we had were at the low end of felons around here, they accepted the job and took the money. Two men were shot and killed by who ever drove in but again low level felons"

"Jay"

"The men that Santos spoke of had cheap run of the mill radios, short distance, poor quality. I only counted four voices using them. Do you want their faces up?"  
I nodded and watched as four mug shots appeared on the screen, I felt Steph tense next to me and turned to her.

"Babe?"  
"The one on the left, he was at the soup kitchen and the one to his right was the man who said he was FBI and at the house"

"Did you find anything on the cars Jay?"  
"Yeah the one with the masked men went from the rental agency to the airport then came straight here, unfortunately it was dumped down by the docks and set alight, so there'll be no evidence to get from it, I managed to backtrack the other one through traffic cams but it was driving and stopping in the city before it came here, probably picking the other men up"  
I saw that Steph was distracted by the appearance of Tank on the screen and gave him her signature finger wave and then she turned round as the room went silent, I looked from her to Tank and reached my hand under the table, pulling hers to rest on my thigh.

"Tank anything new?"  
"No, we're at level 1 but nothing to report"  
"Hector?"  
"Trying to run through cameras near the market and talking to some of his contacts"

"The addresses you need are Unit 19 Hobsons Avenue and Back Creek Road, Babe what number?"  
"7, it's called Seraphic"

"You gonna tell me how you found that address Little Girl?"  
"Err, when I see you"  
I noticed that something was suddenly bothering her and she quickly stood up, seeing her falter and the fact that she had gone so pale I knew she was about to faint so lowered her back down into her chair and pushed her head to her knees.

"Breathe slowly, Babe, you got up too fast"

She was starting to calm down and slowly started to sit up.

"Why did you stand up so quickly Babe?"  
"I have the address of where that safe house is?"  
"Where is it?"  
"In my book"

"We'll look at that together, okay?"

I returned to addressing the men because now we had some places to look at but I also needed to decide what to do next.

"Chet, Tank stay at level 1. Tank run the searches on those addresses but don't go near for now until we know who we're dealing with. Steph and I will follow up with the safe house. Jay can you follow up with that tracker and then I think we need to do what they wouldn't expect us to do"  
"Well I'd expect you to take Beautiful somewhere safe, so I assume we're going to go back to Trenton?"

"Yes, Jay can we get there and land undetected?"  
"Of course, we have a fenestron on the back blade and we have varying degrees of spacing between the blades spreading the noise, I've already set up jamming signals so with the lights off and the engines running low we're as quiet as any helicopter can be"

I nodded my head at Jay and turned to Tank.

"Expect us tomorrow midnight"

With that decided the meeting was over and everyone got up and left the room, I stayed seated in my chair and started to clear away the papers and then thought how what had been said might be affecting Steph, hell not once had I really asked her how she felt about going back to Trenton. As she started to get up to leave I pulled her onto my lap.

"Babe, I'm sorry, I should have talked through with you what you wanted to do, is there somewhere else you would rather go?"  
I could see from her face that she was relieved that I'd asked her and if I wanted to make this relationship work I had to start including her on any decisions.

"If we go back to Trenton how safe will I be?"  
"Babe I don't want you going back to your apartment, I really want you staying with me"  
"So I'd be on lockdown?"  
"No, but I would hope you'd agree to some safety measures"  
"Stretch told me there was a contract out on me, is that true?"  
"There's word on the street of one but nothing to substantiate it"  
"Would it be a good idea for me to work?"  
"You can if you want but you'd have a partner with you, and not Lula"

Could she cope with that? I suppose there could still be people after her but surely by now they would realize that she wasn't the only one who was aware that something was going on, maybe we could flush them out?

"So Babe what do you want to do?"

"Trenton it is then"

As I stood I took her with me and started to walk out of the room with me carrying her.

"I can walk you know"  
"Maybe, but I like to carry you. You still need to rest and you have your tablets to take"

I had to admit that she did look tired again so once I had put her down in the bedroom she took off the joggers and bra and crawled into bed.

As I settled into the office in my apartment I went through the meeting we'd just had, was I right in taking Steph back to Trenton, would she be safe, could I keep her safe? I knew that sending her to a safe house wouldn't work, she'd fight me on it and we'd end up disagreeing and her going off on her own. I suppose at least this way I should have more control and I was also sure she'd want to find the answers as to what was going on, she was too curious to give up the chase. I still couldn't think why that second car had shot the men following Steph, were they FBI? But if they were they wouldn't wear masks or disappear and were they there to help us or to take Steph? As I suddenly heard a noise I quickly got up and rushed toward the bedroom, Steph was shaking her head and moaning, shit she was having a nightmare. As I moved toward the bed I toed off my shoes and lost my T-shirt and cargos, as a second thought I grabbed some silk boxers from a drawer and slid under the covers sliding an arm under her shoulders and the other onto her hips.

"Shush my Babe, I'm here with you"

I pulled her toward me and felt so pleased as she turned so an arm came over my chest and a leg rested between mine, in that position her breathing slowed down and her body relaxed. I knew in that moment that I'd done the right thing in confessing my love for her, she was my life and I hadn't known it until now. I dropped my arm rubbing small circles on her back and feeling all my worries disappear sank into a contented sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I'm sure it was still early in the morning but for some reason I opened my eyes to find those of my Babe looking up at me.

"I like to watch you sleep"  
I smiled because that is exactly how I felt when I watched her.

"I'm surprised you're awake"  
"I think I'm all sleeped out, that didn't sound right did it?"  
"I know what you mean. How are you feeling?"  
"Okay, though I need to stretch"  
I felt as her back arched and her legs untangled from mine and could almost feel her joints stretching. Christ she was turning me on doing that and that was something I didn't want to rush into, she needed to really believe that it was her I loved and not just because of the sex, though that was incredible with her. As she turned onto her back I turned on my side to face her.

"What would you like for breakfast?"  
"Maybe just a yoghurt and fruit"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, don't worry I'm feeling alright but I just want to keep my food simple"  
"Okay, hey Babe?"  
"What?"  
I leaned over her and bringing my lips to hers nipped and teased until she allowed me access, allowed me to feel the warmth of her mouth as my tongue dueled with hers. Before I got carried away I moved away from her and with a hand on her cheek looked into her eyes.

"I love you Babe, forever, don't ever doubt how strong that love is"

I rolled away from her and moved across to the bathroom feeling her watching me; yeah I definitely needed a cold shower now. When I emerged from the bathroom with a towel around me she was still in the same position and hell I couldn't resist throwing a comment at her.

"Like what you see?"  
I'm sure I saw her tongue move across her lips and resisted the urge to be close to her, instead I went to the closet and pulled on cargos and a T-shirt. When I looked back at her I could tell she was thinking so moved around the bed and sat down next to her. I didn't want her to think that I didn't want to make love to her, I needed to explain how I was feeling.

"Babe, I would really like to make love to you and I know it will be incredible, but I want you to be 100 percent confident of my love for you and not think that it's just about sex, so when you're recovered and we both know how strong our love is for each then we'll light up the sky"

"I don't know what to say to that"  
"Say how you feel about it, that's what we need to do, to talk about our feelings openly"  
"I understand what you're saying because yes being with you is incredible and I suppose in the back of my head I would wonder if it was just about the physical relationship, so as long as we don't wait too long I agree with you"  
I kissed her on her forehead and pulled her head to my face, god I loved this woman so much. I moved away and saw the smile on her face; yeah everything would work out between us.

"I'll sort out breakfast while you get dressed"  
I went to the kitchen and knew we had yoghurt and fruit in the fridge, as I was cutting up the fruit into a bowl I felt her arms come around my waist.

"I love you Ricardo Carlos Manoso"  
Then felt a light kiss on the back of my neck. I felt her move away and when I turned around she was stood looking out of the window, deep in thought.

"Deep thoughts Babe?"

"Sorry, I was trying to figure out what happened yesterday down on the street"

I walked up behind her wrapping my arms around her waist, my head next to hers following her gaze as she looked out of the window.  
"How do you mean?"  
"Well if the men from that second car were shooting at the men following me then I don't understand why and how did they all turn up here in Boston? Hell I'd only been here for a few hours"

"They probably followed the tracker"

"Yeah I suppose you're right"

In some ways I hoped that was right because the other option I was now thinking of didn't sit comfortably, that someone had been watching Rangeman and followed the helicopter here.

"Come on your breakfast is ready"

As she approached the breakfast bar I'm sure she scowled at the smoothie I'd set out next to her plate but she did try it and seemed to like it, I'd used fruit, milk and a small amount of protein and carbs powder but ensured the powders didn't over power the taste. As she finished up she took an antibiotic tablet from the bottle and swallowed it down with some water.

"Okay, I'm ready to go. Where are we going to run the search for the safe house from?"

"My office, I asked Jay to set up another computer in there"

"Who is Jay, he doesn't seem to fit in as one of the men?"  
"Probably not, he's one hell of a pilot and almost as good as Hector when it comes to electronics"  
I collected my fob from the hall table and accessed the lift standing behind Steph as we made our way down to four. As I looked at her reflection in the stainless steel doors I could see the improvement in her, her face had a better color and the dark circles under her eyes had almost gone, and without the makeup she usually wore she really was naturally beautiful. In her Rangeman uniform and her hair tied back she looked ready for business. I heard her squeal as she moved out of the lift not surprised to see Santos swinging her round in the air, did I just growl? Yeah I did, now that we had established our feelings for each other I didn't like the idea of some other man touching her, but I wouldn't say anything because I knew Santos would up the antics and Steph would be upset.

"You look so much better Beautiful, how are you feeling?"  
"I feel a lot better Lester, thank you for coming up here with Ranger, I really appreciate it"

"De nada. So what are you up to today?"  
As she replied she looked at me before answering.

"Running a search on the house I was at"  
"You need anything call, okay? Ranger, Ram and I are heading out to the rental firm, maybe we'll be lucky and they were caught on a camera in the area"

"Anything on the other car?"  
"No, the police have it but they said there was nothing inside"

I guided Steph into my office and watched her as she looked around taking in everything about the room.

"It's just like your office in Trenton, maybe a bit bigger"

"I designed all the office space in the branches the same so if one of the men moved it was easier for them to find things and feel comfortable"

I booted up the two computers that sat opposite each other on the large desk and then pulled up a chair for her to sit on.

"Where are we looking for Babe?"

"22 1st St Ext Danbury, Connecticut, number 3. You look up that and I'll start on the name"  
"How did you find that information?"  
"I found a torn up envelope in the bin, I thought it weird that an FBI safe house would get mail"

As I input the address I couldn't help but think that Steph was actually better at picking up clues than anyone gave her credit for, I didn't think many of my men would have done as well as she had being locked up in a house. I found the place on Google maps surprised at where it was, why there? Geographically it wasn't near a large city and it was in an area full of other houses. As the search finished I looked up and could tell that Steph was puzzled.

"What have you found Babe?"

"Well if I'm on the right guy, and there's only one in Connecticut, he died four months ago"

"How did he die?"  
"It says here he had a vicious form of leukemia"

The search on the house finished as she answered and it was my turn to feel puzzled.

"According to this the property and contents, no mention of any money, will "escheat" into the state's coffers"

"Surely he must have some relative out there?"  
"Not if that's what's happening to the house"  
"I'll look further into relatives"  
I didn't doubt that she would but I would have thought that every possible search would have been made to find a relative.

"Babe what was his last job?"

"It says here he worked freelance as an electronics engineer"  
"So no mention of a specific company?"  
"No, and there are no bank details mentioned to follow up from"

The more we delved into this house and man the more bizarre it seemed to get. I knew Steph wouldn't give up searching for clues though, from the look of concentration on her face she was showing that determination I so loved about her. I logged off my computer and as I passed her kissed her on the head.

"I'm going to talk with Jay"  
"Kay"

I quietly closed the door and then walked down to level two, where I knew Jay was working on the tracker, maybe he might find something. Entering the office I saw the computers flashing codes across their screens and wires attached to the tracker, Jay was sat back in his chair watching the screen.

"What do you have Jay?"  
"This is real interesting, so state of the art I haven't seen anything like it before"  
"Explain"

"Well normally a tracker has a GPS chip which fixes its location via satellites. It has a GSM module and uses it to communicate that location via SMS or a web platform or mobile app. This little baby though isn't just a GPS chip, I think there's also a biometric sensor in there, just not sure what it picks up on yet. Then there's the whole possibility that it isn't just going through satellites and being picked up, they're using fogging technology as well. Ranger this is one hell of an advanced piece of technology"

"So it wouldn't be available to just anyone?"

"No, normally I'd say the government would contract out work like this but there are a lot of private companies out there now"

"Are they still transmitting now?"  
"No, and that's something else, the power source. Not sure what that is"  
"When we get back to Trenton see if Hector has any ideas"

"Will do"

"Jay how many of those are there?"

"Like this, just the one"

"Where was that?"

"Bobby found it when he was getting samples from the bandages round Steph's ankle"  
"I don't follow"

"Well I'd say this may originally have been on the inside of the tag they put on her but as her ankle swelled and the skin broke and got infected it must have embedded into her skin"

"So do you think it could be intended as an implant?"  
"Possibly, but there's still more work to be done on it yet, for some reason the human body doesn't like what it's made of, it reacts to it just like Steph did"

"So them finding her was pure luck on their part because the thing stayed on her?"  
"Yes"

I left the room deep in thought at what Jay had tried to explain to me, don't get me wrong I'm reasonably savvy on new electronic devices, I had to be because the army had a habit of making us use them, but I needed to do some research of my own on what Jay had said and then had to work out how to tell Steph. She was still working when I returned to my office, though not sat at the computer, as most people would be, she was laid across the couch with her head over the edge and reading papers in her hand. She brought the papers down onto her chest and closed her eyes before looking at me.

"This just doesn't make any sense"

"Why not?"

"According to any searches I've done he has no living relatives, never married so no kids, mother died giving birth to him and his father died years ago when he had left home. But I did find something interesting and you're not going to like it"  
"Go on"

"Nah it's probably just a coincidence and I'm clutching at straws"  
"Babe there're no such thing as coincidence"  
"Well you know that search I did for Tank, the one he didn't like what I'd said?"  
"The hinkey feeling?"  
"Yes, well according to what I've found, and that isn't much, a man named Michael Colstaro was at the same university at the same time. Maybe they knew each other"  
"So maybe James Harvey and Michael Colstaro worked together?"

"Maybe, but I still don't know what that tells us"

"Babe I just spoke with Jay. He's been looking at the tracker they found on you and"  
"Found on me!"

"It was in the bandage that Bobby took off your ankle, and before you say anything I just found out about that now"

"Oh, so what's so special about it?"  
"Very high tech, so much so I need to read up on a few things first so that I can get my head round the technology"

I moved over to the couch and squatted down by her head, holding her face in my hands, even though she was upside down I kissed her and as her mouth opened I moved to her side, deepening the kiss, I'm sure I heard her moan or maybe it was me. As I pulled away to take a breath she pulled away and was very quiet as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, I jumped to the conclusion that you knew and hadn't told me"  
"In the past maybe I would have avoided telling you, but not now, I don't want anything to come between us, no lying or omissions, just the truth"

As I went to get up there was a knock on the door and Bobby appeared carrying his medic bag with him, I frowned, not because of the intrusion but I was now worried in case he thought there might be something else wrong with Steph.

"I just need to check you over Bomber"  
"Do you have to?"  
"Yes, I want to check your ankle and make sure it's healing up"  
I wanted to ask questions but knew better than to do it now instead I watched as he unwound the bandage from her ankle and then carefully inspected it. I didn't really know what he was looking for, it seemed better than it had been, and the red lines had disappeared. I saw Steph scowl as he continued.

"Bobby what are you looking for?"  
"Just making sure there's nothing here that shouldn't be"  
"You mean from that tracker?"

That had him looking up at her and looking to me.

"You know about it then?"  
"Yes, but if it was in the first bandage you took off then the tracker wasn't on my skin for long"

"Can you remember how long?"  
"Hell, let me think. Maybe 24 hours"

"Well it seems to be heeling so I think you were lucky, just remember to take the antibiotics. I'll check it again tomorrow"

He carefully bandaged the area and then gently kissed the top of her head, hell another one who took liberties with my woman.

"You okay for tonight Bomber?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"  
"Good I'll see you later"

She turned and sat up looking at me uncertainly about to start questioning me.

"What was he looking for?"

"Jay thinks the tracker was new technology but there was evidence of deterioration so I assume Bobby was just making sure you didn't have any residue still on your skin"  
"I can follow that but why ask about tonight?"  
"He knows you don't like flying"  
"I've never been in a helicopter before but as long as I'm with you I should be fine"  
"That's my girl. How about we talk with Tank and see what he found out on those addresses and then you can fill him on your latest theory"

"He'll love me then"

I set up the computer for a video call to Tank, pleased when he answered quickly.

"Ranger, everything okay?"

"Yes, how far have you got with those addresses?"

"I haven't, the factory unit is on the market for rent and the agent said he hasn't had anyone interested, it's owned by a big construction company. The house on Back Creek Road is listed as a private club with a shell company ownership, I'm still trying to get any names of who's on the shell company"

"Put surveillance on them both"

"Roger. How about you, did you find anything of interest?"

I turned to Steph and looked at her, no way was she going to tell Tank what we'd uncovered.

"Well Steph found an interesting connection to that new client you're so keen on"  
"Ah shit, Colstaro, are you sure?"  
"Maybe, it's circumstantial at the moment, but get everything you have on him for when we get back"  
I finished the call and then looking at my watch decided it was definitely time to eat, I knew Steph had been into the break room and taken some fruit but now it was time for her to eat a proper meal and I'd already spoken to Justin to have it ready for us by 6.30 in my apartment.

"Babe we need to get upstairs, Justin will have dinner ready for us"  
I locked the office as we left as I planned to be in the apartment until we had to leave. Once there Steph moved around me and went into the kitchen as I took off my boots and left my keys in the tray.

"Oh wow, look at this"

I walked into the kitchen and then through into the dining area and laughed as I saw how the table had been set out, wow indeed, Justin had really made what was going to be a quiet meal into an occasion. In fact I bet he could outdo Ella. There were candles lit on the table between two vases of colorful flowers, white dining plates and silver cutlery and even a bottle of red wine uncorked ready to be poured. I took Steph's hand and led her to a chair, pulling it out for her and then poured two glasses of the wine, handing her a glass I raised mine to hers.

"To us Babe"

"To us Ranger"

I'd asked Justin to provide us with lasagne, salad and fresh bread and that was exactly what he provided, but it was delicious and even more so when I saw and heard how much Steph enjoyed the meal. But the real enjoyment was seeing her face as I brought a plate out and placed it in front of her, tiramisu.

"Oh god this is amazing did Justin really make it just for me?"  
"He did, I told you he's an excellent chef, just don't tell Ella"

After we'd cleared the plates we settled on the couch, Steph almost laid on top of me, this was what I'd missed, holding and touching her. As I moved my hand through her hair I sighed.

"What is it Ranger?"

"I've missed this"  
"What?"  
"Just relaxing with you"  
"I did too, do you remember the day after you came to the nightclub?"  
"Every detail, why did you leave?"  
"I just felt too comfortable and well, I was getting too emotional and felt if I'd stayed we'd just go through the motions and I couldn't do it"  
"I'm so sorry I pushed you away, I was stupid, trying to use all the excuses I'd lived by for years"  
"Why, what happened Ranger?"  
"I suppose the way I went wild as a teenager, I was invincible and every girl in the area wanted to be with me, once I was sent to Miami my grandma curbed my time so I couldn't get out as much, and to be honest she probably did me a favor, I worked hard at my studies and started to see my life pan out in front of me. When I joined the army and then the Rangers I didn't see a woman in my plans, then Rachel got pregnant with Julie and I felt so trapped, every thing I'd planned seemed irrelevant. I married her for Julie's sake but Rachel knew I didn't love her, so after the divorce I swore never to get involved again. The ops abroad brought more reasons and then the missions from the contract I had, enemies that could find me. It all made sense until you came into my life"

Hell I'd never told anyone why I behaved as I did, yeah I had my pick of woman but they were always told it was just to satisfy a physical need.

"We're here now, maybe the time wasn't right for either of us, but it is now"  
"I love you Babe and yes our time is now"

I turned her allowing my lips to find hers, she tasted so good and molded to my body I felt her move above me as I held her head in my hands, our tongues dueling for control but there was something else, a feeling so strong, beyond the physical need that was trying to push through. I felt as she pulled away and looked into my eyes, there were tears there that I kissed away.

"Babe?"  
"I feel so, I mean that, Hell I love you so much it hurts"

As I pulled her to me and stroked my hand through her wild curls I heard a sound outside the door, a look at my watch confirmed that it was time to leave.

"We need to leave Babe, are you ready?"  
"Yes"

"No second thoughts about going back to Trenton?"  
"No, we'll sort things out"

I lifted her to her feet and checking round the apartment held her hand as we moved out of the door, Santos was there waiting and I could tell he wouldn't try to joke around, he knew Steph didn't like to fly so would support her as a friend. The evening was calm but chilly, certainly windy on the roof with the blades of the helicopter turning. I helped Steph in and fastened her seat belt and fitted the ear protectors on her head before sitting down next to her, her hand immediately grabbing hold of mine. I saw Jay turn and nodded my head at him giving him the go ahead to lift off and then watched my Babe as the helicopter slowly left the roof of the building, Jay was making the flight as smooth as possible and I could tell that Steph was starting to relax, in fact she seemed curious to look out of the window. I turned her ear unit on and spoke to her.

"What do you think?"  
"I actually like it, I can see everything below us, it's amazing"  
I heard Santos laugh and saw Jay smile, everyone seemed to relax as we quickly made our way through the air and back to Trenton, the next hurdle though might be the landing. I felt her hand relax in mine and looking over saw that she was actually falling asleep, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder laying her head on my chest, Jay didn't know it yet but for Steph to fall asleep she had to feel safe. As promised the flight over Trenton was quiet, the engines were purring softly and the blades made little noise as we carefully dropped onto the Rangeman roof. It was only as I was taking her belt off that Steph started to wake up, surprisingly Jay had exited from the seat up front and he was the one who carefully lifted her from the helicopter passing her over when I came out and all I could think was, another one was falling under her spell.

"Hey I can walk"  
"You're tired, I don't want you to fall"

She wrapped her arm around my neck and nuzzled her head into my chest and by the time I was entering the apartment on seven she was fast asleep again. I gently laid her on the bed and removed her jeans then undoing the clasp of her bra pulled the straps over one shoulder to pull it through the T-shirt sleeves and still she didn't stir. Once in bed I slipped off my shoes, cargos and shirt and joined her under the covers, relishing the feel as she automatically turned toward me. Yeah I was home now.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I woke with a start realizing something was wrong and it was as I looked down at the bed that I realized Steph wasn't there, I felt a panic come over me, had she left? Then I relaxed as she came out of the bathroom, a towel around her body and one around her hair.

"Good morning sleepy head"  
"Morning, what time is it?"  
"6"  
"Why are you up so early?"  
"I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep so decided to shower and start the day"

I watched as she went to the closet and got out a pair of jeans and a sweater then dropped the towel to slide her panties up over her hips and continue to get dressed, who said that a woman undressing was sexy, this was just as enticing and I felt myself reacting, shit I needed to get to the bathroom and shower. Why would I suggest holding off on sex, I must have been stupid? Once in the shower I soaped my hands up and washed but then decided that I really needed to take the edge off from the way my body had reacted to Steph, with a hand lent against the wall I massaged my self, picturing her body next to me, it didn't take long before I could feel my self tense up, my sacs bursting and with a quiet groan came against the wall, I felt like a teenager all over again. As I went to get the spray jet I noticed it was turned up higher than usual, strange because I didn't often use it and then it hit me, Steph had once let slip that she would use the power from the massager to get some satisfaction. That made me smile but we really needed to satisfy each other, and soon, it was so much more fulfilling than doing it to your self. I dressed quickly in a Rangeman uniform and found Steph in the kitchen cutting up fruit and noticed two bowls of granola on the kitchen bar, did I encourage her to get her fix of sugar or wait until she exploded?

"Babe what do you plan to do today?"  
"Do you know where my phone is?"  
"I think it's down in my office"  
"Okay, I need to call my parents and Mary Lou so I can pick up Rex and then thought that maybe I'd call in at the Bonds Office"  
"Would you like lunch out and then maybe we can go to the Bonds Office and Mary Lou's together?"

"I can do that, I'll do my phone calls this morning and maybe follow up those searches that Tank did"  
"I need to get caught up on some work but there shouldn't be much"  
I sat down and watched as she ate the granola and yoghurt not sure if she was really enjoying it or not, I noticed that she'd put some of the fruit into a container.

"Babe why the change in diet?"  
"I think I like the weight I'm at so I don't want to get in the habit of eating all that crap again, I'm not saying I won't eat a donut but no more fatty foods"  
"Bobby will be pleased and so am I as long as you're happy doing that"  
"Yeah, I know I'm pushing it"  
"Bobby will want to check your ankle so do that this morning as well"  
We cleared away the dishes into the sink and made our way to the lift, all the time I was taking opportunities to touch her, her arm or her back, once in the lift I was surprised when she turned into me, her hands on my head and pulled me down to bring her lips to mine, I held her round her hips and pulled her against me as our tongues dueled then nipped and taunted each others lips, I was surprised because this was the first time she had instigated such a passionate kiss. As we moved apart I kissed her forehead my fingers playing through her curls.

"I love you Carlos"

The beat of my heart speeded up hearing my name coming from her lips.

"I like that you used my name, I want to hear you screaming it"

"That sounds like a challenge to me"

"Challenge accepted Babe"

As the lift doors opened I followed her out closely, dam I needed to get myself under control before someone noticed. Once in the office I handed her bag to her watching as she smiled when she took her phone out.

"Someone charged it up, but hell there are so many messages"  
"Delete them Babe and talk to the people you want to hear from"

I watched as she cleared the messages from her phone, why so many people felt they needed to plague her was beyond me, then she went back to the door turning before she left.

"I'll go do my calls first up on seven"  
I watched as she left and then decided to get through any emails and messages I'd accumulated. The first I read was from Jay, I'd need to remember to thank him for such a smooth ride last night, he was meeting up with Hector this morning to thrash out what they could find on the tracker. Bobby reminded me that he'd see Steph this morning and that George was on his way back to Miami. There was nothing from Tank so maybe he was the first person I needed to talk to. My in box was fairly empty, mainly reminders from my accountant and lawyer that I had paperwork to return to them. I picked up the file from my lawyer keen to get this finished as soon as possible, it was the paperwork that finished my dealings with the government, though they wanted me to continue I'd totally refused, this was one of the things I was doing in order for me to concentrate on my life, another obstacle I had built to keep my distance from Steph, and now it was gone. I signed all the relevant sections and then fed it into the fax machine to return it to the lawyer, Harvey. He hadn't been surprised with my decision in fact he seemed pleased. That done I returned to the file from the accountant, some was Rangeman business verifying the figures I'd sent through from Miami but the rest was the change to my will. As I was no longer a part of the armed forces I could now name my next of kin as Steph, with the army they had insisted that a prior contract had to be adhered to meaning only family could be benefactors. Those documents taken care of I decided it was time to for that conversation with Tank. When I went into his office he was sat in front of his computer scratching his head.

"Tank?"  
"Sorry Ranger, Little Girl asked for those searches so I've just sent them to her, but looking at them I really can't see what else she'll find"  
"Did she ever tell you how she found the address on O'Rourke?"  
"No she didn't"  
"Well believe me when I say if there's something to find she'll find it"

"Yeah I can believe that"  
"Anything from surveillance"

"No, Cal and Miguel were on the unit and by first light it had been so quiet they went inside, the place was empty absolutely nothing there, but, there had been someone there, the dumpster round the back had stuff that had been put

into it, old food packages and boxes but nothing to say what had been going on there"  
"Maybe seeing Steph there spooked them and they've moved to another place"  
"Probably"  
"And the house?"  
"Quiet as well, no cars or sightings that there's anyone there"  
"Shit so we may have lost them?"  
"Yeah, why seeing Steph would do that I can't figure out especially if they had her locked up"  
"We still at level 1?"  
"Yes and it'll stay until this gets sorted"  
"How far have you got with Colstaro?"

"We only have the original search that Steph did, any contact numbers I have don't work and he didn't give me an address"  
"Not like you Tank, you're normally more efficient"

"I know I think the sound of how big the job could have been blinded me, he was a hell of cool customer"

"We'll find him if he's involved"

"So what are your plans for today?"  
"I'm taking Steph out for lunch and then a call at the Bonds Office before picking up the rat from Mary Lou"  
"You need a team with you?"  
"Yes"  
"I'll sort it"  
"Thanks Tank"  
"I'm doing it to keep her safe. You got your head outta your ass yet?"

"We're both in the same place now"  
"Thank god for that"  
I had nothing to say to that so I just stood up and walked from the room, was it that obvious to everyone around us how we felt about each other? I started to think how I'd behaved around Steph and then suddenly stopped as it occurred to me that maybe Tank knew because he kept tabs on me, I turned and returned to the chair and sat back down in front of him.

"How did you know?"  
"You mean apart from all the times you went berserk when she was in danger, or all the times you disappeared in the middle of the night. No, maybe it was the kisses in the alley or maybe the way you look at her and insist we make sure she's safe when you're away"  
"That obvious?"  
"Everyone here was just waiting for you to get your act together or back away"  
"Back away?"  
"Hell yeah, everyone loves that girl"  
"Well get the word out that she's mine, all mine"

He laughed at that and I took that as my queue to leave once again, I would wait for Jay and Hector to report to me, no sense in disturbing them now. I caught sight of Steph at her cubbie obviously concentrating on whatever it was that she was doing, so I quietly walked up behind her. I noticed her hand got to the back of her neck just before she turned around.

"You ready to go out for lunch Babe?"  
"I suppose, let me save this first, maybe a break will give my brain chance to think this through"  
"You got something?"  
"Yes, no. You know when there's something at the edge of your brain and you just can't get hold of it, well that's where I am"

I lifted her bag from the floor and handed it to her and took hold of her hand and walked us to the lift, I saw her looking down at her hand and smiled to myself, yeah I was ready to declare my feelings for her to the rest of the men. As we drove out of the garage I remembered that she'd needed to call people.

"How did the calls go?"  
"My Mum and Dad are driving down the coast and seem to be enjoying themselves, I'm telling people I was working out of town so I think most of them believe that, well except for Mary Lou"  
"She was worried with that letter she got"  
"I know, anyhow I told her everything and made her promise not to say anything"

"Your Grandma?"  
"She was out somewhere so I left a message. I got a call from Connie so I said I'd call in later"

By now we'd arrived at Pinos, I saw the shadow car park across the street and another go around the corner to the back of the restaurant, once I was sure they'd be in place I opened the door and walked round the car to help Steph out. She smiled as I took her hand, not letting go of it as we walked inside and went to the booth at the back of the room. I pulled her to sit next to me and then rested my arm across her shoulders gently rubbing circles on the top of her arm. We ordered some food and drinks, I was pleased that Steph chose her usual meatball sub, pleased that she was eating now but struggling with the sounds she was making. We didn't really talk much, I think having her close was enough for me and I think she felt the same; we seemed to have evolved to a deeper understanding of how we both felt. I left enough money on the table and we headed out, I was just about to ask her where she wanted to go next when I felt Steph stop and turning followed the direction she was looking in. Morelli, why the hell was he here now and how did he know we were here? I watched as he walked over to us and stopped in front of Steph.

"Cupcake, I've been looking for you"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah I thought maybe we could have dinner tonight"  
"Not happening Joe"

"I thought we agreed we'd get together when I got back"  
"No Joe we didn't"

"Are you still mad I went away?"

"Joe what you do is no longer important to me"

"Look, I told you it was work related"  
"In Aruba?"  
I smiled at the look on his face when she said that, though I had surveillance of him with other woman locked in my safe I would never show them to Steph, if she stayed with me it had to be because she wanted to and I so desperately wanted that.

"It wasn't what you think"  
"Joe, it doesn't matter why you were there with her"  
"She tricked me, tried to get me away from you, but I left her there to come home to you"

"You shouldn't have bothered Joe"  
"But I did"  
"Why don't you go harass that nurse, Laura isn't it, she should be off duty soon"

How the hell did she know about her? I smiled and held out my hand to her but as she made to move toward me Morelli grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"You mean as soon as I left you shacked up with him?"  
"What I choose to do is none of your business, now let me go"  
He let go of her arm and she stepped to the side but I could tell Morelli was working himself up into a rage, his face was turning red and I could see him clenching his fists, he was getting ready to lash out at someone and I was prepared for that to me.

"Morelli you need to leave"  
"Like hell I will"

I was ready as he moved toward me, his left arm was coming up aimed at my jaw but then he feigned the move and turning slightly brought across his right arm. At that moment all I saw was a mass of curls as Steph moved between us.

"No, Joe, you . ."

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence and I don't know if Morelli was too far gone to stop but the next thing I knew was the feel of Steph crashing into me and beginning to fall. I had hold of her in an instant cradling her as I knelt down, there was a deep gash on her forehead but it was the fact that she was unconscious that had me worried, that fucking cop had knocked her out. As I looked up it was déjà vu, a wall of black stood between me and Morelli and then I saw him go down, I'm sure it was just one hit but if it came from any of my men it would only need one. I felt Steph moving against me and pulled her close.

"Babe, lie still, you took a hell of a blow to your head"

"I'm okay"

"I'm going to pick you up and lay you in the back seat of the car, okay?"

I watched as a crowd gathered around us and saw Eddie kneeling down next to Morelli, he was now sat up with blood running from his nose, at least it was broken but that was the least of what I wanted to do to him. Another officer appeared and helping Morelli up led him away to a waiting vehicle and then Eddie came up to me.

"Everyone saw what happened Ranger. How's she doing?"  
"I'm still here Eddie"  
He laughed as he lent into the car and gently tucked a curl from her face behind her ear.

"You took one hell of a hit Steph, you need to let someone have a look at you"

"No hospital"  
Eddie turned to me and turned me to look at him.

"I know he was going for you Ranger but I think Steph thought she could stop him. I'm not sure if she can press charges, that's up to her, but I don't want to hear of anything happening to Morelli, you understand?"

"I understand, but you make sure he doesn't come anywhere near her or that understanding is revoked"

I turned and saw Bobby with Steph in the back of the car and then I nodded to Santos. As I climbed in the back with Steph Santos drove with Booby on the other side of Steph, as soon as the car stopped the door opened and I lifted Steph out and took her straight to the infirmary with Bobby in hot pursuit. As I laid her down on one of the beds she tried to sit up.

"Wait until Bobby checks you out"  
"I'm sorry Ranger"  
I looked down at her seeing the start of tears in her eyes, dear god, she thought this was her fault? I took her face in my hands and kissed her eyelids.

"Babe that wasn't your fault, it was all on Morelli, he was the one that lashed out and hit you, but you have to promise me something"  
"What?"  
"Please don't use yourself to protect me"  
"All I could see was what happened in Hawaii, I didn't want you to get hurt because of me, I never saw it coming, I was trying to talk to him and then wham, he hit me"  
"I'm so proud of you Babe"  
"Why, look at the mess I got into"

"You didn't shout or argue with him, you were succinct in what you said, he just didn't like what you said. What was it with Laura, you seemed to hit a nerve?"  
"Mary Lou had to take one of the boys to the hospital last week, something about something stuck in his ear, anyway the nurses were talking as she was waiting and one called Laura started telling the others about her hot weekend the week before with one Joseph Morelli"

"You found that out this morning?"  
She nodded her head and looked up at me.

"I love you Carlos, so much"  
"I love you too Babe"  
I stepped aside as Bobby came in and watched as he examined her head and then had her following his finger, he checked her eyes with a pen light and stood back.

"Bomber you took one hell of a blow and you're going to have a hell of a headache but I don't think there's any damage, I'll put some butterfly strips on your head"  
Once that was done I lifted her up and carried her to the lift, as she didn't complain I was sure that she was in a worse state than she had admitted to Bobby. Once in my apartment I took her through to the bedroom and helped her to change into one of my T-shirts before pulling the covers over her. I lay down next to her, an arm across her waist waiting either for her to fall asleep or start to talk. I felt so annoyed at what had happened today and frustrated that I couldn't pay a visit to Morelli and do what I wanted to do to him. I felt Steph turn onto her side and looked into her eyes.

"Don't be mad"  
"How do you know I'm mad?"

"I can feel it, you're tense"  
"I'm sorry, but he hurt you and he shouldn't be allowed to get away with that"  
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll pay one way or another"

"As long as he stays away from us, but if he oversteps then I will put him in his place"

"Who ended up hitting him?"  
"Cal, I think he broke his nose"

"Shit Mary Lou will be wondering where I got to"  
"I'll send someone over to pick up Rex"

"She probably already knows what happened anyway"

I felt her relaxing against me and watched as she fought to keep her eyes open, she had never done well managing the after effects of an adrenaline rush, and to be honest she needed her sleep. It was late afternoon and when I was sure she was in a deep sleep I rolled carefully from the bed and went into my office, leaving the door open so I would hear when she woke up. I'd had two messages one to say that Mary Lou was keeping hold of Rex and a message from Hector, in his usual short but succinct manner "Need to talk" I replied telling him to come up to seven. At the knock on the main door I was surprised to see Jay with him and led them both into the dining area noticing that Hector was limping from the injury he'd had at the market. As we sat down I could tell that both men seemed anxious and maybe worried.

"How is Estefania?"  
"Sleeping"

"That scoria needs to be gone"  
"Not yet Hector"

"You say when time is right"

I nodded my understanding to him aware that Jay didn't really know what was going on, I needed to get the conversation to focus on what they'd learned about the tracker.

"The tracker"  
Hector looked to Jay, it was probably easier for him to explain given Hector's use of English and the fact that Jay didn't speak Spanish.

"We had trouble investigating that tracker due to the size and the fact that it's using very new technology, the components of the tracker are similar to what we already use but there were other parts that weren't familiar to us. It seems we have someone experimenting with Nano technology, and they haven't got it right. Amateurs really"

"So that's why it caused a reaction on Steph's ankle?"

"Yes, it was the battery they were using that caused the problem. They were using Silicon Nanowire Electrodes in a Lithium-Ion battery but it's the coating of the silicon structure with a protective element that keeps it stable. A thick shell is preferred to avert fracture of the nanoparticles, but a thin shell reduces the l weight. Normally careful engineering of the core and shell materials is required to obtain an optimal balance, not only to optimize the thickness of the shell, but also the choice of the material that must have the appropriate properties. They went for a thin layer and that created the problem, we think they tried to use a mixture of elements, and one of those elements was Manganese oxide"

"How will that affect Steph?"  
"Bobby's positive that while the tracker caused the irritation and subsequent route for infection that none of the manganese oxide got into her system"

"What else did you find?"  
"Well I think they're using fog technology, it looked like the sensor was uploading data which could then be controlled or analyzed using mobile equipment"

"What are the advantages of that?"

"The information is distributed on a public or private network and so have no single location, there's no single server that would be a target for hackers and so only legitimate users can access them. Fog computing would essentially circumvent the security and legal problems by putting information off-limits to hackers and beyond the reach of law enforcement and in particular the authorities"

"So the mobile devise they use accesses the data and then processes it so they can take action?"

"Yeah I suppose that's one way of putting it"

"So how could they use this?"  
"Well let's say the house where Steph was had doors that locked when ever her sensor was near to it, but was open for other people"

"So it could be used as a trigger system for something to happen?"  
"Yeah there's talk of smart cities where let's say an ambulance needs to get somewhere fast, as it approaches traffic lights they would change to green"

"I have two questions for you. How could this tie in with the drop offs we've seen and how dangerous could this technology be?"

"They could be accumulating mobile devises or sensors so there isn't a trail to one place or person?"

"Hector?"  
"I agree with that but as to how it could be used, I really don't know"

A movement caught my eye and as I looked toward the bedroom door I saw Steph walking towards us, she seemed to be walking slowly and from how she was rubbing her head I'd say she had one hell of a headache.

"Hector, I didn't know you were here, how are the injuries doing, are you healing up?"  
Hector stood up and walked toward her, tilting her chin so he could look at her forehead.

"Me, I good, you not so good"

He put his arm round her waist and brought her to the couch where she sat pulling her feet under her and leaned against me.

"Babe I'd say you need some painkillers"  
"Yeah and probably the other one as well"  
"Where are they?"  
"On the kitchen bar"  
Jay got up and disappeared into the kitchen returning with two bottles of pills and a bottle of water.

"Thanks Jay, and thanks for the ride the other night but you know what, I think I'd like to do that again but maybe during the day time so I can see what's there"  
"Any time Steph, you let me know and I'll organize it"

They left after that I think realizing that talk of the tracker had come to an end leaving me to try and talk Steph into eating. As I was busy studying the inside of the fridge the door opened and in walked Ella pushing a trolley.

"I have just the thing for Stephanie, something filling but easy to eat. How is she Ranger?"  
"She's sat on the couch"  
She disappeared leaving me with the trolley so I lifted the lids to see what Ella had brought up and decided that we could eat from the couch. I set up two trays, one with soup in two bowls and then set the nachos and dips on another carrying through the soup and bread first. Ella and Steph were deep in conversation with Ella beaming; I wondered what the hell they were talking about. Seeing me Ella placed a kiss on Steph's cheek then made her way out of the apartment.

"Here eat this first"

"I'm sure Ella's chicken noodle soup is her go to for ailing people"  
As I ate mine I watched as she cleaned her bowl and tore off a piece of bread. Once finished I cleared away the dishes and then brought the other tray in placing it on the coffee table and turning on the TV.  
"What are the dips?"

"Black Bean Dip, Mango Guacamole and a cheese dip"  
I turned so my back was against the arm rest and then pulled her toward me, with the nachos on her knee and the dips in easy reach, it was relaxing to sit and eat leisurely.

"How does Ella do it?"  
"Do what?"  
"Come up with so many tasty things to eat"  
"She loves to cook and she often goes out to classes or is forever on the internet"  
"I wish my Mum would expand on her recipes, the things she does for meals are so boring and it's the same stuff every week"  
"Maybe we could buy her a voucher to go to some cooking classes?"

"Maybe"

Once all the food was gone and we'd decided on a film the rest of the evening was spent quietly curled up together, I loved the feeling this brought out in me, knowing she was here with me. That brought an unpleasant thought to my mind, would she want to go back to her apartment when all of the trouble was sorted out? I didn't want her to but knew her need for being independent and having a place that was hers was important, maybe when the time came I would fill her in on some of the changes I'd made with my lawyer, but for now I was going to savor every second I had with her. As the film credits rolled by she made her move.

"I'm gonna get a shower and head for bed"  
"Do you need anymore tablets"  
"Nah, if I take any more of those painkillers I'll sleep into next week"  
"I'll be with you shortly"

I watched as she went into the bathroom and listened for her coming out, I knew she'd taken a hell of a bang to her head and needed to be sure she was managing. I wanted to do some research tonight, I might be up on most things but the information Jay and Hector had shared had me worried that maybe I was out of touch. With my laptop in hand I made my way to the bedroom, Steph was already asleep so a quick shower and I joined her trying to read as she crawled on top of me. My head was swimming with information and I knew I'd have to rely on and Jay and Hector to keep me up to speed so after several hours I was happy to shut down the laptop and snuggle up to my Babe, I was pleased that she was sleeping so well so without a thought on my mind except for her, I drifted off into a deep sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I don't know what brought me awake, one minute I was fast asleep and the next I was on high alert. A feel of the bed and I knew Steph wasn't there but there was no light coming from the bathroom. The clock read 0230 so too early for her to be up, I quietly left the bed and opened the door, to look in the lounge and was concerned when it was dark and empty but there was light coming from under the door to the office. I quietly opened it and stood against the doorframe, there she was sat at the desk busily tapping out at the keys whilst referring to some paper work. She jumped as I moved toward her and spoke.

"Babe, what are you up to, do you know what time it is?"  
"Sheesh, make some noise will you. I couldn't sleep so I thought I might as well finish that search"  
"Aren't you tired?"  
"Are you kidding, all I've done is sleep"  
"So have you solved the puzzle yet"  
"Just about"

I was actually kidding when I asked her that but from the look on her face she was being very serious. I pulled up a chair next to hers waiting for her to say something, there was no point rushing her, she'd tell me when was sure of herself. I went to get a couple of bottles of water and returned to find her sat on the floor surrounded by papers biting on the end of a highlighter pen. She looked up as I passed her the bottle and then sat forward crossing her legs in front of her, if I didn't know better she was ready to talk.

"Okay I went back to the beginning with the man who lived at that house, James Harvey, his search seemed the most kosher out of all of them. Then I went through just about everyone he knew at university"  
"All of them?"  
"Well just the men he had any classes with him or were in the same social group. Anyhow I came across a man named Neil Huntington and the search found nothing on him before leaving university"

"So you think this Huntington is Colstaro"

"I don't know, I mean there were two men at university at the same time as Harvey and neither of them seem to actually exist"

"Maybe those names have been added afterwards, to give some legitimacy to false IDs"

"Can that happen?"  
"Marc Pardo has an electronic history"

I knew she would remember that name, I'd used it when I was with her when we trying to find Scrogg, what she didn't know was that there was also a Mrs. Samantha Pardo with a history that could be found and had similar looks to her.

"So we have a man who uses different IDs?"  
"Yes and that makes him very hard to find and even harder to discover who he actually is"  
"Well there was the coincidence with Casper Huntington"

"His son, but again maybe a false name?"  
"Yeah, possibly because any record of someone called Casper has been cleaned up"  
"So now what?"  
"Well I might just know where they are"

"Babe?"  
"Well I noticed that he had a thing for heavenly bodies, you know the name Colstaro and the company Star Technologies not forgetting the house on O'Rourke. So I did a search of all new companies in the area for the last eighteen months and found two that might just be worth a look at"  
"Are you going to tell me?"  
She went onto her knees and pulled me down in front of her, arms around my neck and her face next to mine. At that moment in time I only had one thing on my mind and it wasn't the names of any companies. I nibbled down her neck and kissed where her neck met her shoulder feeling a shudder go through her then with my hands locked through her curls at the back of her head turned her face to mine teasing at her lips until I found entry then teasing around her mouth. I felt her hands skim down my chest and round to my back pulling me closer to her, shit there was no way I could stop now, I needed to feel her, taste her but most importantly make love to her. I moved my hands to pull up her T-shirt only breaking contact of my mouth on her skin to raise it over her head and then my mouth was teasing at her breasts, her nipples as hard as rock. I felt her grinding her body against mine and heard the whimpers as I assaulted her skin but all of that was overshadowed as her hands eased down my boxer shorts and surrounded me with her hand. I wouldn't last long if she kept doing that so I pushed her backwards gently onto the floor and let my hands move down to the elastic of her shorts. They weren't there for long before I felt her warm soft folds, enticing me to explore them, to worship them. She was so wet, and all for me. I used my mouth and finger to bring her to her first orgasm relishing in the feel of her as her muscles tensed around me screaming out my name. As I felt her breathing slow down I raised her up to sit astride my knees then slowly lifted her and guided my self inside. I moaned at the feel of her tightness around me and stilled to ensure she was comfortable and then moved slowly out, the feel of her against my skin bringing ripples of pleasure surging through me. My mouth was constantly touching her skin, lathing and kissing, I couldn't get enough of her, her movement against me, her sighs and moans and the way her hands would massage my skin. As I moved into her again I felt like I was touching her womb, so tight and so right. I knew I wasn't going to last much longer so I rubbed her clit between us waiting for that feeling of power to race through her muscles and I wasn't disappointed. I felt her muscles clenching at me and pulling me in and with one final thrust I lost myself to her, shouting out her name as a growl, sheer pleasure rushing through me. I heard my name, Carlos, and that only intensified the sheer love that I felt for this woman.

"God I love you Babe"  
"I love you Carlos and that feeling inside of me when we made love grew so much I couldn't believe I was capable of so much love"  
"Me too"  
I held her against me, wrapping my arms around that beautiful body the contact between us only intensifying my need for her. I felt her head on my shoulder and smiled at the fact that even in this position she had fallen asleep, only she could do that. I carefully lifted her and moved into the bedroom for us to finish our nights sleep, or what was left of it.

The morning felt like I was floating on a cloud, I don't think I'd stopped smiling since waking up and it wasn't just last night it was all the little things, her washing and brushing her teeth while I shaved, her humming while she dressed and scowling when she looked in the fridge. I saw things this morning that I had taken for granted before, but not now or ever again. As we went down in the lift I suddenly remembered the search she was doing but a call on my phone interrupted my thoughts.

"Yo"  
"Ranger we might have trouble, there're police officers down in reception insisting on talking to Steph"  
"Are they for real?"  
"Yeah, I called the station and spoke with the chief"  
"We're on our way"

As I put the phone back in my pocket Steph gave me a curious look.

"We're wanted in reception"  
"Who by?"  
"Police"  
"Do you know what they want?"  
"No, they never said"

For some reason I had a sense of dread run through me as we descended to reception and it only increased when I saw six officers stood chest to chest with some of my men.

I raised an eyebrow at Tank as I stepped forward and he nodded to the men to take a step back, Steph stayed back stood next to Santos her expression showing confusion.

"Officer?"  
"Detective Mason"  
"How can we help?"  
"I have a warrant here to take a Miss Stephanie Plum into custody"  
I almost laughed at that, what the hell did they think she'd done, hell I'd been with her for the past few days.

"And what is the warrant for?"  
"Murder sir, so if you'd step out of the way we'll escort her to the station"  
I saw Santos move Steph behind him and the men closed ranks behind me, that didn't seem to have the desired effect though, suddenly there were six officers with guns raised and aimed at us.

"Sir I will take her in even if that means someone gets hurt, so let me do my job"  
I felt Steph come to my side, she was nervous and worried.

"Ranger I'll go with him, I don't want anyone to get hurt"

"Babe I'll be there with you, Tank get Harvey straight away"

I watched as the detective walked Steph out to a car, at least he had the courtesy not to handcuff her. One of my Cayennes pulled up as they left and I was out of the door and into the car with Santos driving.

"How the hell can they think Beautiful murdered someone?"  
"God knows, she hates hurting anyone, besides she's been with me the whole time"

I felt my phone in my pocket vibrating and taking it out read that Harvey was on his way, no mention of how long he'd be though. Once parked we entered the station and stood at the desk waiting to see someone, Eddie was the first person I saw so I went up to him, I was feeling annoyed and frustrated that I had no control over what was going on.

"Eddie where's Steph?"  
"Sorry?"  
"Officers came to Rangeman and arrested her"  
"Not from here they didn't"  
"Where from then?"  
"What was the name of the arresting officer?"

"Mason, Detective Mason"  
"Hold on while I find out where he's based"

I'd assumed he was taking her to Trenton, how could I have been so stupid? Shit she'd think I'd abandoned her and Harvey, did he know where to go? I'd started to pace by the time Eddie came back and once I saw him I was in front of him expecting an immediate answer.

"South Plainfield Police Department, I don't know what the hell they would arrest Steph for though" As Santos and I moved back to the car I took out my phone to call Tank. "Is she okay Ranger?"  
"She's been taken to South Plainfield Police department, tell Harvey we'll meet him there"  
"I'm on it" It was about 45 miles to travel there and even though Santos travelled quickly it wasn't fast enough for me, I was so worried about what was happening to Steph, she was on her own and alone and that made me feel like shit, I should be with her or at least for her to know I was with her. The station we pulled into wasn't one I'd been to before but luckily Santos had taken a skip in there some months ago, so he knew where the main desk was. Again I seemed to wait an age before a young policewoman came and stood by the desk. "Stephanie Plum was brought in here and I need to know what's happening"  
"Are you a relative?"  
Shit did that make a difference?  
"No her boyfriend and employer"  
Hell that sounded lame, we were so much more than that. I watched as she worked at the computer and looked and smiled. "She's with her lawyer"  
"So how long?"  
"I don't know, you'll just have to wait" So we waited, and it was driving me mad, I paced to start with but when the officers started to give me looks I sat down next to Santos. "She'll be fine, Harvey's good, she'll be out in no time"  
"I wish I had your faith Santos, I just don't like the feel of this" As someone else came from one of the inner doors my blood ran cold, what the fuck was Morelli doing here, if he had anything to do with Steph being arrested they wouldn't find his body. "What the hell have you got her involved with Manoso?"  
"Me?"  
"Yeah you, now she's your plaything you got her doing your dirty work?" "She hasn't done anything Morelli" "No? That why they found her gun in the room with the victim?" "What victim?" "I don't know, they haven't given me a name, they just showed me a photo and asked if I knew him"  
"Do you?"  
"No, I've never seen him before" "Is that the only reason you're here?"  
"They wanted my opinion as to whether she could do it"  
"What did you tell them?" I saw his shoulders slump and for once he seemed to be despondent, he sat down next to me slouched forward, his head in his hands.  
"I told them she couldn't do it, she never has her gun on her, she leaves it in the fucking cookie jar" I couldn't believe that he was sat there talking to me like this, maybe he did love her, but not enough and he'd taken her for granted, something I would never do. "I gotta get back to work"  
With that he stood up and left leaving both Santos and me watching him leave. "Do you believe him Ranger?" "I don't know"  
"But?" At that moment Harvey walked in looking flustered and walked over to us.

"I'm sorry I'm late I got caught behind an accident"  
"What?"  
"Where is she Carlos?"  
"They told me her lawyer was with her"  
"That's impossible, let me go and find out"  
I watched as he walked over to the desk, as his demeanor changed to that of a man with power, the young officer didn't stand a chance against him, and that's why I paid him the big bucks. I saw as she talked to him, her eyes moving from the screen to his face and then as he started to get annoyed, when he was taken through a door behind her I let out a breath of relief, at last there would someone with Steph now and I'd pay whatever bail they wanted. When at last he emerged I stood up to meet him, looking around for Steph.

"Harvey where's Steph?"

"I don't know"  
"How can you not know?"  
"They said a lawyer was with her and she went with him"  
"Who was the lawyer?"

"They don't know"  
"How the hell don't they know?"  
"He walked in and announced he was her lawyer so they let him through"  
"He didn't say or sign in?"  
"No"

"And you're sure she's not here?"  
"They showed me every cell and office in the building"

I couldn't believe it, how the hell had someone walked in and out of a police station without them knowing who he was, and Steph did she think he was the lawyer that I said I'd get to her. Where the hell was she? I stormed out of the door feeling my temper rise; I'd let it happen, I didn't protect her from something like this. As I came to the car I let my temper erupt and fisting my hand hit the door panel, it hurt like a bitch but I deserved it. I felt Santos behind me and turned to him ready to lash out at anyone close to me.

"Carlos you need to focus all that energy into finding her"  
He never called me Carlos unless he needed to get through to me and with the name came visions of my Babe screaming it out last night. I rested my hands on the roof, taking deep breaths and fighting to reign in my emotions. Once I felt more in control I got into the SUV and pulled out my phone.

"Jay hack into South Plainfield Police department surveillance videos"

"What am I looking for?"  
"Someone took Steph from there"  
"On it"

We drove in silence back to Rangeman, I needed to get more information like who this man was that she was supposed to have killed, then I remembered my visit to her apartment when I got back from Miami.

"Santos when we called at Steph's apartment after we visited the Bonds Office her gun wasn't in her cookie jar"  
"So it looks like someone took it then?"  
"Yeah"

Again I pulled out my phone.

"Boss?"

"Take a team and go to Steph's apartment, her gun was stolen from her cookie jar"  
"You want prints and evidence?"  
"Yes, and Ram, make sure there's a clear line of evidence, follow procedure"  
"On it boss"

"Ranger how many people knew she kept it there?"  
"I have no idea"

"Thought that might be a long shot"

"Set up the conference room next to my office, get everything in there from what we've been working on, it must tie together"

As I was pinning information to the board Tank came in I knew he didn't know what to say and that was all right, I didn't want him to say something that would make me feel any more guilty than I already did.

"Ram's on his way back"

As I placed a piece of evidence on the board he turned from reading it, looking at me.

"Did Steph get any further with finding out more?"  
Shit, I'd totally forgotten about that, she said she may have had a couple of ideas on Colstaro, I turned and went up the stairs to seven, dreading the idea of going into the apartment and especially the office. The emptiness hit me as I went in but I pushed my self forward to the office and just stopped at the office door looking in. Papers were scattered around where she'd been sat working, our clothes still laying on the floor amongst them where we'd thrown them and the memory of our love making hit me along with the smell of her and her perfume. I quickly collected the papers together not caring if they were in the right order and then as a second thought picked up the clothes and placed them on the bed on my way out. I swore I wouldn't be back until she was with me. I was looking for the names of the companies she'd alluded to when I'd interrupted her, Celestial Industries and Supernal Enterprise were the only names that I found, so writing down where they were I headed into Tank's office.

"What you got Ranger?"  
"Two companies that may be a fit, both are new and while one reads as being an electronics company the other one is vague stating it provides cutting edge manufacturing components, Celestial Industries and Supernal Enterprise"  
"You want some surveillance?"  
"Yes, but we need to be discreet, I don't want to spook anyone into knowing we're watching and they may be legitimate businesses"  
"I'll get Hal and Miguel, and Vince and Eric on them and tell them to use undercover vehicles. Ranger I doubt she'd be at either of those places"  
"I know but maybe we can start to pull together the players"

"We'll find her"

"I'm going down to see what Jay may have found"

Jay was working in Hector's office, not an ideal setup but they seemed to work well together, I knew as soon I went inside and Jay looked at me that he didn't have good news.

"I managed to get into their systems and have the scenes where Steph was taken in but ten minutes later the cameras went offline, I'd say whoever walked in had a jammer on them. I can even follow where he went from the cameras going down"  
"Nothing from any exits then?"  
"No, other than they must have used the rear exit into the car park. I checked the car park before and after when the cameras were working and there are no unusual cars parked there, police cars and any civilian cars check out as belonging to people who work there"  
"What next?"  
"I'm checking for businesses that have cameras along the street but I may have to go there and check that out as not all of them have the cameras linked to a computer"  
"Jefe"  
I turned to look at Hector who was working at another desk.

"Any trackers of ours she had on her are at the police station, probably in evidence bags"

The bastards had made her remove any personal items and had probably done a strip search on her, I know it was procedure, but hell she'd be mortified at that, it was a degrading experience that would have made her feel vulnerable and scared.

Next was a visit to the labs, hopefully Ram might have found something worth following up on, I needed to do something because at the moment I felt I wasn't being active, I wanted something that would help to get me out of here and following up a lead. The labs were at the back of the garage and were state of the art, I'd made sure of that especially as we were often called on by the FBI to help out with cases and Ram was seen by many as an expert in the field of evidence collection and analysis. He was working at one of the computers with another one scrolling through finger prints looking for a match.

"Report"

"Sorry Ranger I didn't hear you come in"

He picked up a file and turned his chair to face me.

"Steph's apartment has obviously been empty for awhile with dust collected but she must have had a cleaning session before Boston so it was easier to see any signs of a break in. There was evidence of the lock being jimmied but I can't say when it was done, we found fingerprints belonging to Steph, you and Lula inside. Someone had been in and carefully gone through the closet and her jewelry box but I don't know what's missing. The cookie jar had your prints on the lid and some smudging probably someone using gloves, there were black fibers caught in the neck of the lid"  
"Could you match them?"  
"If I had the glove then possibly"  
"So someone took things but you don't know what?"  
"That's about it, I took photos so if you know what she had then maybe you'd know if something was missing"

I sat down and started to look through the photos, Steph didn't really own much of any value most of what she had were sentimental to her. As I looked through the jewelry box I had a sudden idea and took out my phone to call Hector.

"Hector do you remember the watch we gave Steph on that distraction last year?"  
"The one with the panic button in it?"

"Yes, I know she said that it wasn't working, something about the dials getting caught on each other. Any chance you can re activate the tracker in it?"  
"Maybe, it depend if battery good, I try. Come up to office"

The watch had been used on a distraction last year and I smiled at the memory of that one. The man we'd been after was a sleazeball, wanted for assault and rape, so we'd tried to make sure every contingency plan was in place. I should have known that with Steph around I could never predict what might happen. She'd gone into the bar and was soon talking with the skip but when she made her move to bring him outside he'd had other ideas and we heard him trying to drag her up the stairs behind the bar. When we'd rushed in to help her we found both of them at the bottom of the stairs, the skip out cold and Steph dazed and trapped underneath him. I'd had to pull her away as we freed her, hell she was annoyed and was ready to kick three shades out of him. She'd used her stun gun on him part way up the stairs not realizing he'd take her with him as he fell. She had a few bumps and bruises and that was when the watch had been damaged. I offered to get it mended but she wouldn't have it, saying she'd just keep it for sentimental reasons. As I entered the office Hector had a map of Trenton up on his screen with a stationary blue dot in the middle.

"Pawn Pirate down on Kerry Street"

"Thanks Hector"

I messaged Santos to meet me in the garage pleased when he got there so fast.

"What you got Ranger?"  
"Someone pawned a watch of Steph's"

"How the hell do you know that?"  
"Remember the watch she was wearing on that distraction where she ended up at the bottom of the stairs?"  
"Hell yeah, she was one pissed off woman"  
"The watch I gave her didn't work properly afterwards but she kept it"  
"Why?"  
"That's Steph"  
"You driving?"  
"Hell yeah"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

As we got out of the SUV I set the alarms and then turned to look around. It wasn't in the best part of town but hopefully no idiot would try to steal the vehicle. I took in the front of the pawnshop, bars at the windows and doors and lots of gaming machines and computers in the window. Inside was dark and dingy with cabinets locked up tight displaying every type of rubbish you could imagine. We waited for a young kid to finish at the barred service desk and as he left Santos turned the sign to closed and locked the door. The man stood behind the counter moved his hand obviously itching to remove the sawn off he'd have under the counter, a typical slime ball; greasy black hair hanging down to his shoulders and a face with evidence of scars. He may have been a hard guy in the past but the belly flowing over his dirty jeans revealed that he'd let his body go to rack and ruin.

"I don't want no trouble"  
"Not looking for it"  
"So why you here?"  
"You have a watch that belongs to me"  
"You! How would I have it?"  
"It was stolen from a close friend of mine, and I gave it to her"  
"I don't touch anything illegal"  
"So find it"  
I took out my phone and showed him a picture of the watch that Hector had sent and watched his face as he looked at it, yeah he knew it.

"I didn't know it was stolen and you know I wouldn't touch anything if I thought it was connected to you'

"Good to know now go find it"

He disappeared into the back room returning with a box that he placed down on the counter and then began to push things around inside, eventually pulling out the watch.

"Dam thing didn't work anyhow and I couldn't even get inside it to take a look"  
There was a tag attached to the watch which he deftly removed before handing it over.

"Who brought it in?"

"That's confidential information"

I stepped to the side giving him a view of Santos who had opened up one of the cabinets and was now holding up a laptop in the air.

"Don't drop it, it's worth a fortune"

"Name"

He looked at the label then opened a program on his computer sighing, which told me he had a name.

"Joyce Barnhart"  
I didn't think so, Joyce may hate Steph but I wasn't convinced she'd break into Steph's apartment and steal something that didn't work.

"Describe her, she a regular?"  
"Yeah, maybe once a month maybe more"  
"And?"  
"Big black woman, I think she's a ho from the way she acts and dresses"

I took the watch holding the cold of the metal in my palm, Lula, why had she done it? Wasn't she supposed to be a friend to Steph?

"What about the gun?"  
"Gun! No, no I don't take guns and everyone knows that"

"Has this Joyce anything else in here?"  
He played about again with the computer and shook his head.

"She don't buy back as a rule"  
"Print me a list of things she's brought in"

"That it then, you gonna leave me in peace?"  
"Yes, but not a word to anyone or I'll know about it"

Once outside I threw the keys to Santos, there were a couple of calls I needed to make.

"Cal check the camera outside of the Bonds Office"  
"Sure, what am I looking for?"  
"Is Lula's firebird there?"  
"Yeah parked up front"

"Keep it on screen and alert me when it moves"

I turned to Santos as he started the engine and made the second call.

"Lula's I presume?"  
I nodded my head as I started to read down the printed list from the pawn shop, he'd given me the list going back a few years it was obvious from the items that Lula was systematically stealing things, where from I wasn't sure of, I knew Steph had very little of any value and what she had was either at her parents or had been destroyed in one of the many break ins or fires that had engulfed the apartment, but one caught my eye as unusual, a gold chain with a medallion of St George, patron saint of a warrior. Once we'd parked away from Lula's apartment, no point in her knowing we were around, we made our way up to the top floor apartment, the lock was simple to open and we both stood looking around while putting on gloves. It was quite a spacious place with a kitchen area and lounge along with a bathroom and two other rooms. Santos went to the bedroom as I turned to enter the second room.

"What we looking for Ranger?"  
"A pair of black gloves and anything that doesn't seem to belong here"

I got a surprise when I opened the door to a small room, obviously a small bedroom but it was stacked floor to ceiling with clothes and shoeboxes, wigs and makeup. No wonder she needed the money if she had paid for everything here. I systematically went through the boxes first, expensive shoes and matching bags, then turned to a closet behind a rack of dresses. I was totally amazed at the range of BSM paraphernalia; okay I knew she'd been a ho in the past but some of the stuff here looked new, still in the boxes and bags from the shops where she'd bought them from, was she still pulling in tricks, is that how she had so much money? Yet she still tried to fleece Steph out of every dollar she felt she was entitled to. As I started to put things back onto the shelves a creaking under my foot caught my attention, as I knelt down I found a loose floorboard and using a knife at the edge eased it out surprised to find a velvet bag full of jewelry and if my judgment was correct they were worth quite a bit, then underneath that was an envelope addressed to Lula thanking her for her help. Inside I counted out two thousand dollars. My phone beeped as I was replacing the board but keeping the contents with me, Lula had left the Bonds Office and was probably on her way home.

"Santos you find anything?"  
He exited from the bedroom carrying a plastic bag with woolen black gloves inside. We went back to the lounge area and sat down on wooden chairs by the kitchen bar and waited, no way was I sitting down on the couch. It wasn't long before we heard Lula stomping up the stairs muttering to her self and she'd closed the door before noticing us sat there.

"What the hell"

"Lula"  
"What you doing here?"

"We need a conversation Lula"

I pressed the button on my phone and started to talk.

"Lula I know about the stealing"  
"Humph like hell you do"  
"Lula I have proof"  
"I aint stolen nothing"  
I took the watch from my pocket and held it up for her to see.

"She gave that to me"  
"Really Lula?"  
"Yeah really"

"So why take it to the pawn shop?"  
"It's ugly as sin, I didn't want it"

"Why take it then?"  
"It looked real expensive"  
"And the rest of the items that you took there?"  
"Things I found"  
"The St George medallion that belonged to Tank?"

"I found it and didn't know who's it was"  
"I know Tank searched high and low for that medallion and I know he asked you and searched around the place"  
"Nah, that weren't his"  
"So what about these Lula?"  
I help up the velvet bag in plane sight watching how the expression on her face changed.

"You got no right coming in here and searching through my things"  
"And you have no right to be stealing from people"  
I stood up now knowing that my face and posture were changing to that of being annoyed, I needed to frighten her, to show her that she couldn't stand up against me.

"Where's Stephanie's gun?"  
That had a look of surprise from her face; she didn't expect me to know it was gone.

"Lula where is it?"  
"I don't know"  
"Who did you give it to?"

"It ain't what you think"  
"So tell me Lula"  
"Some Dude started to get pushy with me so I brought out my gun, he laughed at me the scumbag and still wouldn't back away. Steph was getting Norbert in the car and he asked if she were carrying too, so I said she never carried her gun. He left us alone after that but then he turned up here after Steph dropped me off and threatened me, said he wanted our guns"  
Were the tears in her eyes for real? I couldn't believe that she felt anything but what might happen to her.

"What did you do Lula?"  
"The next day she were doing work for Rangeman and she blanked me from the last skip so I went to her apartment and got her gun"  
"How did this man know you had it?"  
"He came by late the next night. I didn't have a choice, he was gonna hurt me"

"Who was he Lula?"  
"I don't know, I aint seen him since"

"So why pay you Lula?"  
"What?"

"Two thousand dollars for a gun Lula?"

"I needed the cash"

"Lula how much cash do you get through?"  
"I have my needs anyhow she was getting more money than me and I did half the work"

I walked to the door opening it letting Eddie and Detective Mason in, switching off my phone in my pocket. Lula was lying, it didn't happen like she said, her story had too many holes in it.

"You got the police onto me, you no good bastard of a thug"  
I sidestepped and allowed Eddie and Mason to grab hold of her, though Lula on the rampage was something to see and watched as Santos helped them to restrain her and walk her out of the room with Eddie, leaving Detective Mason and myself on our own.

"So will you drop the charges against Steph?"

"You know we didn't actually charge her"  
"Then why arrest her?"  
"Oh I was gonna charge her until that fancy lawyer turned up but he had an alibi for her, seems she was out at lunch and he had a photograph and witnesses to prove it"

"If you'd just asked me when you turned up at Rangeman I could have told you that"  
"Yeah well with your men looking ready for a fight and the officers with me waiving their guns I thought it best to just get her out of there"  
"So who was murdered?"  
"A guy named Alfonso Stretch"

"So when did he die?"

"Yesterday lunchtime"  
"Why so long talking with Steph?"

"Didn't find the gun till the afternoon and then there was a back log at the lab, by the time we got the results and then located her it was today"

"Who told you where she was?"  
"Morelli, I thought she was his girlfriend but boy did I get that wrong, he turned up at the station"

"You didn't ask him over?"

"Hell no"

"He say something?"  
"Yelled at her and then told her she deserved it, that she shouldn't have been poking her nose in. Whatever that means"  
"Who was the lawyer?"  
"I thought he was the one you sent"  
"No and now I can't find her"  
"Shit, that's not good"  
"What will happen with Lula?"  
"She'll be charged with theft and at the least aiding and abetting a murder"

"Would you let me know if you find out who the man was that bought the gun?"  
"I can't promise anything because maybe he's our prime suspect now, I suppose I'll have to get back to the evidence again, I thought it was too easy to pin point the killer so quickly"  
"Thanks for the help"  
"No problem, I hear Rangeman can be helpful to the police"  
"Anytime you need our help then call me"  
As I locked up the apartment and headed downstairs I played the conversation with

Detective Mason through my head, who the hell had eyes on Steph and how did they get a photograph of her? But then I suppose the events outside of Pinos went viral through the Burg with lots of people wanting to get in on the latest scene between her and Morelli, but did we have someone following us? And Morelli, why did he go to the station and blatantly lie to me? Santos was quiet for once as we travelled back to Rangeman and I was grateful for that even though Steph wasn't wanted for murder I still didn't know where the hell she was and I'm sure had she been able to she would have called me. Once back I went to the stairs and headed to Tank's office I now needed to tell him about Lula and the medallion, he wouldn't take the news well, hell I know he was literally bowled over by her but I'm sure at the time he had some feelings for her. What she'd done though would really hit him hard, undermine his faith in women, and he wasn't overly confident at the best of times with them. He was sat as usual at his desk, I really needed to get him out of the office more.

"Where'd you go rushing off to?"  
"Following a lead"

"You get something?"  
"Of sorts"  
"Spit it out then"  
"I found out that someone had stolen Steph's gun from her cookie jar"  
"So the charges have been dropped?"

"Yes, plus the murder happened at lunchtime so the police have evidence of an alibi for her"  
"What evidence?"  
"Photos and witnesses, you know the scene outside Pinos gathered quite a crowd"  
"So who stole the gun?"  
"Lula"  
"Lula, you're joking"  
"No Tank no joking"  
"But she wouldn't do that she's friends with Steph, you got it wrong"  
"I'm sorry Tank, I followed a watch that was missing from Steph's apartment back to Lula and she admitted that she'd taken the gun"  
"Why would she do that?"  
"Money"  
"Money?"  
"Tank do you remember when you lost your medallion?"  
"Hell yeah, I looked everywhere for it"  
"Lula had it and took it in to the pawn shop"  
I handed Tank the list from the pawnshop before he started to have a go at me again.

"Shit, how could I have been so stupid?"  
"She was very believable"  
"I know but I should have seen it"  
"No one saw it Tank, so don't let it get to you. You got out of the relationship intact"  
"Just. I hate that she did that to Steph, hell Steph has helped her so much, she'll be devastated when she finds out"  
"I know"

"What else did you find?"  
"The man who died was called Alfonso Stretch"  
"The man who held her at the house?"  
"Yes"

"Now what?"

"How's the surveillance going on those two places?"  
"Fairly quiet at the Celestial Industries site, workers going in and out, deliveries, I'm not sure how we'd know something was wrong. Supernal Enterprise is even quieter, seems to be more offices than factory so only a few people in and out"

"Maybe I need to pay a visit tonight?"  
"Maybe, you want me to set up a team?"  
"Yeah, just get the surveillance teams to be sure of the security they have in place"

"Ranger we'll leave at midnight, civilian clothes"

I got up and left going through to the conference room there were detailed reports from Ram on the forensics from Steph's apartment, reports from the surveillance teams and a report from Jay. I took that one down and began to read through it, noting that it wasn't long ago since he'd put it up. He'd drawn a blank at the police station which I already knew but he'd managed to track down a camera at a local liquor store that kept the scenes on disc at the shop. The view looked from the sales counter across the shop and out onto the street giving a view of the traffic passing by. Jay wasn't sure what vehicle to look for but had made a note of five cars that had passed by where the view of any passengers was obscured by tinted glass. The problem was that the view didn't have a line of site of the plates, but at least we had something to follow with the make and model of these cars. I went to my office to shower and change, no Rangeman logo on our clothes tonight, we needed to be in and out and leave no clues of a break in. I grabbed a bite to eat from the break room but I didn't feel hungry I couldn't help worrying where Steph was and if she had been hurt. At 2355 I entered the garage to be greeted by Tank, Santos, Ram, Vince and Cal, at this rate we'd be seen for sure, there were too many men to do this quietly.

"Ranger, Vince and Cal are gonna sit on Supernal Enterprise while we hit Celestial Industries first, Ram will keep watch while we go in"

Tank handed mics and buds to each of us to use and once loaded up two cars headed out of the garage going in different directions. We were all quiet on the way, I was absorbed in running through my head the floor plans Hector had sent through to us, where the exits were and the main offices, stairways and corridors and even how their security system worked. Ram dropped us beyond the fence surrounding the factory and drove away to the place that gave him the best view of the area and we headed to the fence. Tank cut a hole large enough to slither through on our stomachs and being last Santos closed it up with wire, thin enough that it would break when we needed to get out but strong enough to pull the hole together so as not to show evidence of a break in. We stilled and put on infrared goggles scouting out the area and when we were sure there was no one in sight started to move forward. The surveillance teams had reported no security at night and reliance on electronic sensors and cameras. We waited watching the time and a beep on Tank's phone was the signal that Hector had interrupted the security system, we had twenty minutes max to get in, look around and get out. Once through the side door we each went our own way, Santos was checking out the factory floor, Tank the storage and loading areas and I was on my way to the offices. Another door to open with a pick and I was inside so using a pen light started to look through desks and cabinets. At exactly five minutes I heard Ram then Santos followed by Tank giving the all clear, I responded and continued with my exploration. I started up the computer leaving the power to the screen off, I didn't want any unnecessary light in the room, then after inserting a pen drive in the computer hit the keys as instructed by Jay. Another call in reminded me of the time and as I heard the computer shut down removed the drive and headed back down to the side door. Once I met with the others we backtracked through the fence this time using thicker wire and met up with Ram at the car.

"Santos"

"I didn't see anything out of place, they're producing circuits for washing machines and microwaves so nothing there that wasn't needed in the production line"  
"Tank"  
"Couple of large vans with the assembled circuits and the stock room just had boxes of components."  
"Offices were clean but I have a copy of their hard drive. I think the place is clean"

That left Supernal Enterprise, that's if we were even on the right track, but I trusted Steph's instincts on this so had to think positively. As we were five minutes out we all heard Vince through the radio.

"We got movement here but not from the unit, there are two cars sat out front with us in their view, we're moving on and then we'll circle back"  
"I'll pull over and wait for an update"  
"Tank have we got a tail"  
"Didn't have a moment ago, Ranger what do you want me to do?"  
"Circle and use evasive maneuvers"

I watched from the side mirrors as Tank drove around the streets but that dam car was always behind us, when I thought Tank had lost them we were suddenly picked up by another.

"Abort and rendezvous back at Rangeman, Tank send the signal to take us to level 2"

As we arrived back at Rangeman I saw the car that had been following peel away and drive down the road then watched as the same thing happened to Vince and Cal. I raced up to five and through to the monitoring room, at level 2 extra cameras were switched on to give additional coverage of the perimeter of the building.

"Hal tell me we got those cars on camera"  
"Yes boss, but none of them had plates and all had tinted windows"  
The same as the car that had taken Steph, what were the cars trying to do? It was almost as if they were stopping us from going into that unit. I turned and went into the conference room where the men had gathered and sat down hard at the foot of the table. I was surprised when Jay and Hector joined us but then when I thought about it they would have been keeping up to speed with what had happened.

"Jay"  
"Same cars as took Steph, but, and I might be totally wrong here, they were acting as though they were chaperoning you back home"

"Tank"

"First factory was clean and the fact that we had a reception committee at the second would suggest that's the place we're looking for"  
"Hector"

"Can't get through security, they're using sensors as triggers controlled through mobile devises"

"Like you explained yesterday?"  
"Yes, I say these are people we are after"  
"Santos ideas on the cars"

"I agree with Jay, it was almost as if they were keeping us away from there"

I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes as I tried to get my head around what Santos had said; the problem was I agreed with him.

"Shit, we need to find out who is controlling the men in the cars then"  
I stood up and left the room, I could feel myself losing control and I needed to get it back and there was one sure way of doing that. Once in the gym I didn't bother with gloves, I needed to feel the pain in my hands against the bag, I needed to feel the air go painfully in and out of my lungs but underneath it all I needed to feel my Babe close to me. I was so engrossed in the feelings flowing through me that I wasn't aware of the three men behind me, it was only when Tank wrapped his arms around my shoulders and Santos tackled my legs that I even knew they were there, of course Bobby was on me as soon as I hit the floor threatening me with a syringe. At the sight of that I closed my eyes and tried to relax, drawing breaths slowly into my lungs, holding before releasing it. I could feel my heartbeat slowing down and finally I felt myself regaining control of my emotions, Slowly Tank and Santos released their grip allowing me to sit up, as I looked at Bobby he smiled and put the syringe away.

"Glad to have you back Ranger"  
"Sorry guys"  
"Get some sleep and then we can start again in the morning'

I went up to my office and used the shower in there then changed into cargos and T-shirt and laid down on the couch, somehow I remembered doing this before, and like before my dreams all centered on Steph and not being able to find her.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I woke early from a restless night wanting to do something but not knowing what. I went through to the monitoring room to check on our status.

"Ram anything?"

"Nothing unusual boss"

Next I went via the break room and took a yoghurt and mug of black coffee back into my office. I felt on edge this morning but I didn't know why. I started by pulling up the images of the cars that had followed us last night trying to find something that would distinguish them from any other. Each car was a different make looked to be different ages and had different decals on the back screen and bumpers all they had in common was that they were black with tinted windows. I had a sudden thought so immediately called Hector.

"Jefe?"  
"Hector check stolen cars for the last three days and compare against the ones from last night"  
If I was right then we were no nearer finding any answers and no nearer to finding Steph. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and looked at the ID screen, withheld number, which was strange, so I quickly called Hector on the internal line as I answered the call. There was silence on the phone but the line was still open, I covered my phone and said a single word to hector.

"Trace"

Then went back to my phone.

"Hello"  
"Ranger is that you?"  
"Babe, where are you?"

I was so relieved to hear her voice.  
"I'm okay, it's really nice here"  
"Is someone with you"

"Yes I'm eating well"

"Babe have they hurt you?"  
"No, but I negotiated with him so I could talk to you to say I was all right"  
"Babe give me a clue"

"I changed from orange into blue"  
"I love you Babe, I'll find you"

"Not as big as my love for you"

"Is it somewhere close"  
"I love it here"  
"Babe is it someone you know"

"I'd love to get married some day"  
"I'll make that happen when I"

The line went dead leaving me sat there with it still to my face, I felt relief that she was alive but felt so helpless, I had to get a grip, so I immediately called back down to Hector.

"Report"  
"SAT phone, no way to trace"  
"Send me the recording and a transcript"

As soon as it arrived I played it through over and over again, I just couldn't find a clue from what she'd said, I was aware Santos had come into my office, maybe another set of ears would help, I was too close to this.

"Why would she say she changed from orange to blue?"  
"She was probably in an orange jumpsuit"

"Okay, she says she loves it there, where does she love to go?"  
"The beach"  
"Okay so she's near a beach. What's with the saying not as big as my love for you, does she normally say that?"  
I went to the board behind me and wrote down the three words that seemed out of place or meant something, beach, blue and big. I went back to the transcript and read the last sentence she'd said, why would she say she'd love to get married some day.

"Have you asked her to marry you?"  
"No, hell we've only really been serious for a week"  
"So why say she'd love to get married some day"

I looked at the words again and added marriage proposal and there looking back at me was the answer, I knew where she was, now to decide how to get her back.

"You worked it out didn't you?"  
"Yes, I know where she is"  
"You gonna tell me?"

"In Deal with Alexander Ramos"  
"How the hell did you get that?"  
"She drove Big Blue when she was doing surveillance there and Alex Ramos car jacked her, said he loved the car and then offered to marry her"

"What you going to do?"

"Go to her"  
"Will he let you in?"  
"I don't see why not, there's no argument between us"  
"Well if you go we need to set up some sort of plan B"  
"No, I go alone"

"Ranger if he"  
"Santos, he has a plan and I need to know what it is, the worst he can try and do is keep me there so if you don't hear from me within four hours of going in assume the worst and take him out"  
"What time you going?"  
"If I get there for 1700 it'll give you the cover of darkness to plan an assault"  
"Okay, but I don't like it"

We spent the rest of the morning with the team looking over plans of the house and surrounding area looking at ways to carry out surveillance without being seen and then how Santos could lead an assault on the house if things went wrong. I changed before I went, after all Ramos would respect a well-dressed man who had the audacity to go knock on his door. I called in at the conference room and picked up two phones, just in case one was damaged or taken off me and ensured I had an updated watch. I put a second watch into a pocket for Steph and then turned to the reflection in the glass to fasten my tie before putting on my jacket. I didn't say anything as I left, we'd all said what we needed to at the meeting and now I needed to get into my zone in preparation of getting my Babe back. I drove the Porsche at a steady speed, I didn't want any police to pick me up but at the speed I was travelling I could also be on the look out for anyone following. At frequent intervals along the road I saw a Rangeman SUV keeping watch, we'd planned for there to be someone watching my back on the journey to Deal. Finally as I drove down the street that led to the Ramos house I almost missed it, for some reason I remembered it as being a horrendous pink color but now it was painted white, he must have got rid of the last wife. I drove down the short drive and stopped the car in front of the door and then made my way up the steps, not surprised when it opened before I had a chance to knock. A large man, obviously carrying, dressed in a black suit and white shirt greeted me politely.

"Sir we are not expecting visitors"  
"Let Mr Ramos know that Ricardo Carlos Manoso is here to see him"

"Please wait here"  
The door closed and I actually had the fear run through me that I wouldn't even get into the house, if that happened then we brought forward the siege but I still didn't like that idea, what if Steph wasn't here and I'd got it wrong or if she was hurt during a gun fight. For some reason I was beginning to second guess myself, I had to stop doing that so I stood tall and drew down my blank face keeping my emotions at bay. When the door next opened there were two men stood there, I knew the procedure so held up my arms for the new man to remove any weapons I had, I wouldn't disrespect Ramos by being unarmed. Once he'd removed two of my guns and a knife he stepped to the side allowing me to enter and there at the foot of the stairs was the man himself.

"Ranger, a pleasure to see you"  
"Mr Ramos"

"I did wonder if you'd turn up, she is a delightful woman but so astute and bright"  
"Where is she?"  
"Stéfani is resting, but maybe it might be better for all of us if you go see for your self, Gaston will show you up to her room"

I followed the black suited man, Gaston, up the stairs where he indicated to a room on the left and then he disappeared. I hadn't seen any cameras inside the house and was now prepared for a trap, so stepping to the side of the door slowly opened it until it was wide open. The room was bright and colorful with drapes of lace blowing from a breeze from outside but my gaze immediately fell on the sleeping form in the bed. Never taking my eyes from her I checked behind the other doors, a large bathroom where everything was white and a large closet full of womens clothing. Feeling more confident with my surroundings I went over to the bed and looked down at her, concerned at the appearance of dried tears on her cheeks. I sat by her side and moved her hair from her face, stroking my hand down her cheek and then leaning down to gently kiss her lips. I felt her stir and saw the reaction as she realized she wasn't alone but as she opened and closed her eyes looking at me a look of absolute joy lit up her face and she literally threw herself at me.  
"You're here, you came, oh god I was so afraid for you"  
"Babe I will always find you"  
Tears welled up in her eyes as she then curled herself around me, her arms tight around my neck and her legs wrapped around my hips. I held her to me breathing her in so relieved that she was here and seemingly not hurt.

"Babe are you really all right?"  
"Yes, Alex has been the perfect gentleman"  
"Why did he bring you here?"  
"He wouldn't tell me until you got here"  
"So he knew you sent a message in the call?"  
"Yes, it was his idea"  
"Why not just tell me where you were?"  
"He's paranoid about security"  
I was happy to stay where I was in her arms, her body wrapped around mine, I had been so worried as to where she was, but thinking now that somehow Ramos was involved the worry and fear was creeping back inside my thoughts. I couldn't understand why Steph was even involved with all of this especially if all of this involved him, I couldn't see anything good coming from talking with him and was he so desperate that he needed to bring Steph here to get to me? It just didn't make sense. I felt Steph move and shift in order to look me in the face.  
"You're worried aren't you?"  
"Yes I am, I think we need to get Ramos to tell us what he thinks is going on and why the need to bring you and then me here to meet with him"

She shifted and moved away from me walking I presume into the bathroom, when she returned I realized she was wearing a soft blue dress that clung to her body, the sleeves were short and the hem finished just above her knee, it wasn't the style of dress she would normally wear.

"Babe where did the dress come from?"  
"The ex wife left everything here before she divorced him so he said I had free range of clothes. You don't like it do you?"  
"It's not your usual style"  
"I know, everything seems a bit old for me"

"You still look beautiful Babe"  
"Not as beautiful as you in that suit"  
Beautiful was not a term I envisaged being called when I dressed in this suit but I was pleased that she liked what she saw. I took her hand and we exited the bedroom following the stairs down into the lobby area, it really was an extraordinary house with so many pieces of artwork that followed a Greek theme. The floors and walls were all white emphasizing the gold and bronze of statues and picture frames, not really my taste but then again Ramos was known to be an extravagant man. Gaston seemed to appear from nowhere and directed us through a room that was a huge lounge area out into a conservatory. The door closed behind us and Ramos got up from one of the gold colored upholstered chairs extending his hand to Steph. She took it and he guided her to one of the small couches, no way was he separating us so I followed and sat down next to her, I'm sure Ramos had not intended for me to do that, I think he thought he would sit next to her. There was coffee and cups on a low table that he busied himself with pouring out coffee from a large ornate pot into three cups. He handed one to me that I placed back on the table and watched as he added milk and sugar to another.  
"Stéfani"

Steph thanked him and also placed her cup back onto the table.

"You want to get down to business Ranger, I can understand your impatience"

"Mr. Ramos I think you'll appreciate that both Steph and I need some answers"  
"Very well. But you are not here because of Stéfani, but how you may help"

"Ranger and I come as a package deal Alex"  
I was so proud of her when she said that, that she had said it and used his first name surprised me though.

"Very well I'll take you through what I know"

He sat back against the chair as though considering what to say and after taking a drink of his coffee looked over at me.

"You'll know that Jimmy Colowski died recently but what you may not know is the respect and power that he held amongst the Families and the other players. He kept the balance of ethical and moral behavior in tight control, even for someone like me and the business I manage, there are certain things I will not be involved with. Grizoli and Harry, Granaldy, Jemerez and I have always followed this code and have every intention of continuing to do so. The problem is that there is a new player on the scene and he is a very dangerous man, dangerous to us and to everything we stand for. We have tried to reach out to him but I'll be honest with you, we don't know who he is only that he is threatening all of us. Stéfani became involved because, we feel, she was at the wrong place at the wrong time on several occasions and became known to him"

"Who took Steph and kept her imprisoned?"  
"He did, or his associates did. We had a man who was sympathetic to the situation we were in, he was very concerned with the direction his boss was going, so when his boss told him to get rid of Miss Plum he simply made her disappear. Of course he didn't plan for your ingenuity Stéfani and your amazing ways of escaping, he followed the tracker and kept us up to date but he wasn't aware that there were other men following you, he called us when he realized you were in Boston and fortunately we were in time to help you"  
"So the men following Steph belonged to this boss?"  
"Yes they did"  
"And the men who shot them belonged to you"  
"Indeed, we correctly assumed that you would try to get to Rangeman"

"Thank you for that Mr Ramos, you certainly saved a lot of lives that day"  
"Please Ranger call me Alex. Any way the boss was obviously suspicious at how we came to be there and unfortunately our ally was murdered"  
"Alfonso Stretch"  
"Yes indeed, but someone came up with another plan to get Stéfani out the way"  
"Which you thwarted when you sent in a lawyer and then brought her here"

"Yes, you see the five of us each feel very protective of Stéfani, she is very close to all of our hearts for her openness and spirit, we do not want to see anything happen to her and for some reason he has an unhealthy interest in her"  
I watched Steph as Alex spoke those words, I knew exactly where he was coming from because I'd seen first hand how generous and selfless she was and I knew all of my men felt exactly the same way about her. She was embarrassed, looking down at her hands and biting her lip, god how I loved this woman sat next to me.

"Alex was it you that stopped us from going inside that factory last night?"  
"Yes, how you knew about it I'm not sure, Stretch told us, but we think it is now booby trapped"  
"Because of Stretch?"  
"Yes we think he's moved his operation again"

Steph looked from me to Alex obviously confused about something, she started to talk and stopped, thinking through what she needed to say.

"How is it you don't know who this boss is?"  
"He's never around; no one has seen him that is why he uses so many drop offs. He keeps a lot of layers around him"

I needed to steer the conversation to gain information from Alex, I had a feeling Steph was ready to tell him what we knew and at this point I still wasn't sure that I trusted him and the other four leaders, I squeezed Steph's hand hoping she would understand.

"What do you think he's up to?"

"He wants control, power and money"  
"Isn't that what everyone wants?"  
He laughed at the irony of that, after all what else would an arms dealer want.

"Touché Ranger, but not at the cost of humanity. He doesn't just want control, power and money, he's mad and deranged which is why he is so dangerous. He doesn't see beyond what he wants or the consequences"

"So what are your next plans"  
"We want you to find him and stop him"  
"What about the authorities"  
"Until he does something, which will be a catastrophic event he isn't even a blip on their landscape"

"And your plans for Steph?"  
"If I could, I would fly her away to my Greek island, but I know she wouldn't go and I know you wouldn't let her, so we entrust her safety to you. We'll be there in the background and if we can establish a safe system to communicate that doesn't involve electronic equipment then we are there to help"

I really didn't know what to say to that, the fact that these men, who in their own right were very powerful men, were asking for my help had me speechless. I needed to find out what Steph wanted to do, I could fly her away from here, somewhere safe and secure where no one would find her, but that wasn't her, it wasn't how she dealt with things.

"Would you mind if Steph and I talk privately first?"  
"Of course not, go where ever you need to go, there are no cameras or bugs in this house, I have it swept daily"

I stood and pulled Steph up beside me trying to work out where was the best place to go, I felt her pulling me toward the open glass doors that led outside.

"There's a summer house in the grounds that's private"

We walked together down some steps and along a path between flowerbeds and ornate fountains until we came to an octagonal building made from white painted wood and glass. Inside were wicker chairs filled with cushions in every shade of yellow and gold, a fridge displayed bottles of water and beer with white wine on a shelf. As Steph opened the fridge to get two bottles of water I sat down on one the seats and welcomed Steph to me as she sat curled up across my knees, the problem was we needed to decide what to do.

"I won't go away to any Greek Island, safe house or be anywhere on lockdown"  
"Understood, but you will wear trackers, be dressed and with Kevlar, and have a partner and shadow team"  
"Wow not holding any punches back are you?"  
"I could add that you train in some self defense"  
"No running"

I laughed as I hugged her to me feeling lighter now that we had an understanding, now for the serious stuff.

"Babe I want to keep what we have close to our chest"  
"You don't trust them?"  
"The five main players maybe, but each one has a lot of men working for them and it wouldn't surprise me if this boss has someone inside"  
"Okay, I get that, so what now?"  
"We go home"  
"I like the sound of that, so I take it I leave you to tell Ramos?"  
"Yes"

We emerged from the summerhouse and returned to the main house via the same route, Gaston appearing again to show us into the lounge where Ramos was sat back in a chair with his eyes closed listening to some sort of Greek music. Gaston coughed behind us bringing Ramos's attention to us.  
"Ah, I didn't expect you so soon"  
"We'll work to find this man you spoke of and find out what he's up to, once we know and have conferred with you we'll decide how to move forward"  
"Cautious as ever Ranger"  
"Alex there is one condition on that, only the five heads will know"

"You think we have a Judas amongst us?"  
"I don't know, but I don't want to find out the hard way, the less people who know the less chance of a leak accidental or on purpose"  
"I understand, only the five of us will know, and Stéfani?"

"She stays with me"  
"If I were only thirty years younger you wouldn't have a chance"  
I smiled as I walked up to him and extended my hand to shake his, then watched as he pulled Steph to him, whispering in her ear. She smiled as she replied to him and then turned to me obviously ready to go.

I felt relieved to be driving away from the house especially since my Babe was with me. I used the on board phone to call Santos with the preplanned signal that we were both on our way home. As we travelled I pulled Steph's hand to my thigh rubbing circles on her palm and then as I accelerated focused on my driving. Tank was behind us in the red Landrover and I saw the men in the SUVs as we came off the state road and into Trenton. On these roads we had two cars behind us and two in front, maybe overkill but I had precious cargo on board.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As I pulled into the garage I noticed that Steph was fast asleep, I hadn't asked how she'd slept at the Ramos house but knowing her she probably hadn't, I turned ready for action when her door opened and I saw Jay carefully lift her out of her seat, I was out and round the car quickly to take over and carry her to the lift and ultimately my apartment. She didn't stir as I laid her on the bed and pulled up the sheet to cover her, I didn't think she'd sleep for long so left her in the dress. Once I was sure she was settled I returned to the lounge to find my core team waiting for me but not just Tank, Santos and Bobby, there was also Jay, Hector and Ram, all I'm sure waiting for me to report to them the goings on at the Ramos house.

"There are too many of you to meet here and I won't leave Steph on her own, not yet, she's been through too much. When she wakes I'll call a meeting"

They were like kids as they slowly went out of the door, some disappointed others annoyed, I didn't give a shit how they felt when I was ready I would tell them what I'd agreed to and then we could plan on what to do next. At some stage I needed to tell Steph about Lula, not something I was looking forward to. I showered and changed into cargos and a T-shirt and then crawled onto the bed next to my Babe curling my arms around her feeling relaxed for the first time in hours. I watched and thought as she slept, remembering what Ramos had said about her, she really was a special person yet she'd be the last one to recognize it; maybe that was part of what made her who she was. I wasn't wrong when I thought she'd wake soon, I felt her stir beneath my hold and saw when her eyes fluttered open, surprise showing as she looked around. Seeing me looking at her she smiled.  
"Hi, how long have I been asleep?"  
"Not long, do you need to sleep for longer?"  
"No, I need the bathroom though"  
I released my hold on her and watched as she rushed into the bathroom, then heard the sound of the shower going. Much as I was tempted to join her I got up and went into the kitchen filling and turning on the coffee machine. I found some tastycakes on the top shelf of the cupboard and put them on the breakfast bar along with the coffee pot and mugs.  
"You found my tastycakes"  
"Yeah, though I don't know how long they've been there for"

"They never go off"  
"The men want a meeting Babe"  
"I thought they would, I'm surprised they lasted this long"

I noticed that she only ate one of the cakes but drank the coffee quickly then grabbing my hand we headed for the door and then surprised the hell out of me by going down the stairs. I watched as she went ahead of me, she'd changed into a Rangeman uniform but I'm sure Ella was altering them especially for her. The cargos sat on her hips keeping to her contours whilst the T-shirt seemed shorter giving an occasional glimpse of the smooth skin on her back, hell I was thankful Steph was the only woman here or the men would never concentrate on their work. I'd sent out a text to the men as we left the apartment and was surprised to find them already sat in the conference room waiting, had they waited here? Once I'd sat at the head of the table with Steph on my left and Tank to my right I started the meeting.

"Santos"  
"No tails in or out and we didn't see anyone hanging around the house but you need to hear what Jay has to say"  
"Jay?"  
"I arrived before you did and took some equipment with me and checked around for sensors and cameras. There were motion sensors that controlled cameras so I did the best thing to make them redundant"  
"What did you do?"  
"Well Steph I made sure not to trip the sensors and then I sprayed the lenses with black paint"

"How many were there?"  
"Two on the road, two on the beach, I also used a jammer to block any signals"

"Ramos said he won't have anything electronic in the house"  
"Ranger are you going to tell us what happened?"

"Why don't you go first Babe?"  
"Me?"

She didn't look happy about that and I suddenly realized that she could have gone through one hell of an ordeal when the police arrested her.

"Babe just take it from when you arrived at Deal"  
I saw her nod her head and take a breath before she sat up straighter and faced the men.

"Well when everything got sorted out at the police station the man who said he was my lawyer walked me out to his car, he said he was going to take me home, but, well we ended up at Deal. Ramos was there when the car arrived and had one of his men take me upstairs saying to use whatever I found in the room. Ramos was the perfect gentleman, he didn't threaten me or lock me in, he asked me to stay until morning where I was safe and than I could call Ranger"  
"So he told you to call Ranger with that message?"  
"Yeah, he was paranoid someone would be listening in to Rangeman"  
"So Ranger what's the deal?"

Yeah Tank knew there would be something asked of me but I wasn't sure he'd like this one, I didn't but for some reason knew it was the right thing to do.

"When Jimmy Colowski was alive the Families and other bosses were kept in line on what Ramos calls ethical and moral boundaries. When he died a new boss decided to move in so Ramos, Grizoli, Harry, Granaldy and Jemerez are worried, I think they have two concerns, one for their own enterprises but also because this new man is unpredictable and dangerous. The five of them are trying to work together to combine forces but I think this new man has technology way beyond what they know about. Steph was in the wrong place at the wrong time too often so she came to the attention of the new man as a threat and Ramos, Grizoli, Harry, Granaldy and Jemerez won't allow him to hurt her, it was their men who helped us in Boston and Ramos's man who got her out of the police station. She was set up to take the fall for the murder of Stretch who was killed because he was siding with Ramos's team. They're asking us to find the new man and stop him"  
"Do they know who he is?"  
"No'

"Do they know what he's planning?"  
"No"  
"Did you tell him we might know who he is?"  
"No and until we know more I don't intend to, Steph and I think he's using several alias's"

"Last night?"  
"Ramos was sure it was a trap, not for us but for their men in case they attacked the place"  
"I thought it was too easy to find him"  
"I know you'll find him again Babe"  
"So what now?"

"Jay keep following the materials that the tracker had in it and any new technologies coming through the dark web. Hector are you fit to talk to some of your contacts"  
"Si"  
"Tank pull the surveillance we have on O'Rourke and Black Creek Road and also the two factories from last night and see what you can find out about this Neil Huntington "

"Ranger could we go visit the house I was at?"  
"If you want to Babe"  
"Santos do a follow up on Alfonso Stretch"

"Do you want me to pull in some contract workers?"  
"No Tank, we need men we know well, so maybe ask Miami and Boston if they can spare anyone, meeting tomorrow at 1900"

I watched as the men filed out of the room, other than the odd question they'd taken this job on board without comment, now I had to have a serious conversation with Steph about what each of us had been through the day before. I took her hand and led her to the lift her back to my front waiting for the doors to open.

"Babe some thing happened yesterday that you need to know about, but first I need to know you're okay after that fiasco at the police station"  
The fact that she didn't say anything spoke volumes and I knew it was going to be difficult for her to tell me, but she needed to or it would eat away at her.

"Do you want to eat first?"  
"No let's get it over with first"  
Shit this wasn't going to be easy, she went to the couch and sat down while I opened a bottle of wine and brought through two glasses placing one in front of her.

"That Detective was okay really, he talked to me, just trivial stuff trying to get me to relax and then Morelli turned up. We were in one of those rooms, you know with just a desk and chairs, Detective Mason left me with him but I think he was watching through the camera"  
She was trying to put on a brave front but it wasn't working, she was playing with the hem of her T-shirt her head down and her shoulders slumped.

"He did what he always does, he shouted at me and blamed me and then saying if I'd just got a decent job none of this would have happened, blamed me for sticking my nose where it didn't belong"

"Babe he's an idiot and he doesn't know you, everyone has said you were in the wrong place at the wrong time"  
"I know but it still hurts that he thinks so badly of me"  
"Babe what he thinks doesn't matter, I love you for who you are and so do a lot of people"

"Maybe"  
"So Eula and Connie, Mary Lou and Ramos and his cronies, all my men are wrong?"  
"Maybe"  
"What happened after Morelli left?"  
"I was booked in, you know, photos finger prints and then they made me change into a shitty orange jumpsuit, then that man turned up as my lawyer and showed him photos of me inside and outside Pinos with you. They let me go after that and said they'd be in touch if they needed to talk to me"  
"So not as bad as it could have been?"  
"No, not really. What about you?"

"After we realized you'd disappeared again we had nothing so I sent Ram to your apartment to see if he could find any evidence from your cookie jar. He said it seemed that someone had been in and when I checked his photos that old watch was missing"  
"Watch?"

"The one you wore for a distraction that didn't work"  
"I could have thrown it away"  
"I knew you hadn't, so Hector reactivated it and it turned up in a pawn shop"  
"How the hell?"  
"Babe someone has been stealing things, not just from you, Tank lost a gold medallion"  
"I remember that, he was seeing Lula when that happened, did you find it?"  
"No it was bought ages ago from the pawn shop"  
"But"

I could see her thinking through what I'd said but could tell that she wasn't putting the two pieces of information together.

"Babe it was Lula"  
"You're wrong, she's a friend"  
"Babe, she stole the watch and pawned it"  
"But why?"  
"She wants money"  
"But she's always buying things, oh god that's how isn't it?"  
"Babe she stole your gun as well"  
"But that was what they had as evidence against me"

I could see the hurt cross her face and her eyes misted over, I needed to finish what I needed to tell her even though I could see how upset she was.  
"Some man she bumped into outside of McManimons bar that Monday night paid her to get it"

"Why would she do that to me?"  
"She's selfish and greedy"  
"I thought she was my friend, I shared everything with her, I told her things"  
I took her in my arms as her tears spilled over and turned into heart clenching sobs, she didn't deserve to be betrayed like this not by someone whose life she'd saved and then helped to get back on her feet.

"So it was someone who's tied into all of this then?"  
"I think so, the detective who took you in, Mason, said he'd let me know if he found out anything from her"  
"She won't tell him, she's too stubborn to do that. I need to go visit her"

"Why?"  
"I don't know, maybe to look her in the eye and listen to her side of the story"

I knew once she'd said that she would insist on that visit but not just yet, she needed to think it through first, was her impulsiveness something that drew me to her, no not really, maybe though it was something to help her come to grips with. I finished my wine and investigated the kitchen to see what Ella had left, pleased at her choice of a vegetarian lasagne, maybe not my most favorite food but I knew that Steph would like it and she needed some happy in her life. We spent the evening curled up together on the couch listening to the TV in the background; Steph was focused on the search she'd run on James Harvey, no doubt hoping it might give her a thread to pull at tomorrow. I was surprised when she stilled and after putting the papers in a file suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to shower and sort out my plan of attack for the morning"  
I watched as she disappeared deciding to leave her to it, I used my laptop to get caught up on any Rangeman business and two hours later when I went to shower noticed she was fast asleep in bed. I watched her as I often had done in the past, recognizing that she was moving more than usual, I just hoped she didn't have any bad dreams tonight, she'd done so well recently with that.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I was aware of Steph talking in her sleep but couldn't really work out what she was saying other than a comment "No guns" so I assumed Lula was part of the reason for that. Although I didn't want to leave her I felt I had to get back into my regime of workouts so at 0500 I left her to go downstairs. It was unusually quiet as I warmed up on the treadmill but was aware of other men arriving, I'd built up my speed and was determined to get the miles in when everyone in the gym went quiet and a form appeared next to me that really surprised me.

"Don't you say a word"  
I know my mouth tipped up in a smile as I watched my Babe type in the exercise she wanted to do, okay it was maybe a bit slow and not that far but hell at least she was making the effort. Once I finished the run I went over to the bags and donned gloves before sparring with the bag, at this stage I had my back to Steph so when I turned around and saw her on the mats with Jay I stopped to watch. Jay wasn't as big as most of the men here and whilst he kept himself in shape he didn't carry the same muscle bulk so in comparison he seemed smaller. What few people knew was what he lacked in size and strength he made up for in quick reflexes and killer skills. He was showing her how to defend herself against being attacked, moving the position of her feet to take her out of reach and then the use of her arms to ward off a weapon or attack with a countermove. And dam it if she seemed to be enjoying the session and actually working hard at it. Maybe my approach had been too formal and carried an expectation that she felt she couldn't achieve. Jay knew I was watching and brought the session to an end by having her do stretching exercises on the mats and then turned to me and smiled.

"She's not too bad, a bit impulsive with her moves, but she did well today. Steph we'll practice what we did today and do some other moves tomorrow if you want"  
"You sure, I mean I know I suck at this"  
"No you don't, you just needed to approach the whole thing differently"  
"Okay then, tomorrow"

I walked up to her and pulled her up and then wrapped a towel round her neck.

"You seemed to enjoy that?"  
"I did, oh hell I'm sorry"  
"What for?"  
"Well you were always trying to get me to train but somehow Jay made it easier for me"  
"Babe I'm just pleased you're doing it and Jay works differently to the rest of us so he'll have a different approach"  
We made our way up to seven, in the lift of course, I was sure Steph wouldn't appreciate any more exercise by going up the stairs I headed for the shower while she seemed to be sorting through the closet, as I came out she went in holding her clothes close to her, what the hell was she up to? I was just finishing some fruit when she came into the kitchen, the sight of her literally stopping my hand mid way to my mouth, Christ what was she wearing? I felt my body react to her, like some demented pervert, and I'm sure my face showed just how turned on I was.

"Don't you even think about that"  
"Babe, hell, you look like every boys wet dream in that get up"  
"That wasn't the image I was going for"

I watched as she turned around taking in the flat white trainers, knee high socks and a skirt that barely covered her ass, my eyes travelled up the T-shirt that fit her curves and focused on her face. She had no makeup on and her hair was in plaits down the side of her face which now was blushing so much that she stared down at the floor.

"What's under the skirt?"  
"Lycra shorts"  
"Is this part of your ploy for today?"  
"It was but maybe I'm too old to carry it off"  
"No, you look like a sexy teenager"  
She took out some glasses and put them on, yeah that did change the initial effect, the black rimmed glasses now gave her a look that would fool most people.

"I got the glasses from Hector, they have a camera somewhere on them so we can record anything we see or hear"  
"How do you turn them off?"  
"Hector said you'd ask that"  
"He knows me too well"

"He put this app on my phone and I think on yours as well"

"Promise me one thing"  
"What's that?"  
"When we come home"  
"Get your brain out of the gutter"

She was laughing as she said it but I was being perfectly serious.

"Anyway I need corporate Ranger with me today"  
I raised an eyebrow at that, why would she need me in a suit?

"You're going to be my lawyer"

When we arrived at the garage I had to assume a hard glare at Santos, I'm sure he was about to say something and knowing him it would upset Steph or me. We had Santos and Jay shadowing us but just to be sure I had four cars leave the garage at the same time, all of us going in a different direction. I wove through traffic and took a circular route confident that we didn't have a tail, Santos was to meet us on the north side of New York at an agreed meeting place. Steph was unusually quiet as I drove, normally she would be talking non stop.

"Babe why so quiet?"  
"Sorry, I was watching the side mirror, who's with us?"  
"Santos and Jay, we'll meet up with them soon"

"Okay, who'll go into the house?"  
"Jay, he needs to be sure there are no surprises"  
"Surprises?"  
"Sensors, cameras or listening devises"  
She went silent after that which suited me fine allowing me to focus on driving, though I did place my hand on hers and rested it on the consul between us. As we reached our destination I slowed the car and parked up, passed an ear bud and mic to Steph and then waited for Jay to give us the all clear. I could feel Steph begin to fidget next to me, but it was important to go in safely. At last the all clear came from Jay and I had to grab hold of Steph to stop her from bolting out of the car then started the engine and drove onto the drive in front of the house.

"You ready now Babe?"  
"Yes, sorry"  
Jay was already in the house and Santos was scaling the wall from behind to enter through the kitchen, once on the doorstep I noticed how hesitant Steph was so took her hand and opened the door to lead her in. We both stood looking down the hall, taking in the décor and position of the doors; Steph went through the first door so I followed. The room held a couple of desks and chairs but with nothing on them, there was a small table and a couple of chairs that could have been used for eating at otherwise there was no other furniture in the room. Steph was stood looking through books in a bookcase that was in an alcove next to the fireplace, that held an old-fashioned gas fire, the opposite alcove was empty. There were no pictures or ornaments around but there was something about the walls that had me moving closer to them, Holes everywhere, small pinhead holes, just like the holes that I had in the board in my office.

"He used this as an office and pinned things up on the wall"  
No one answered me as I started to look with more interest at the wall, Steph had started to take out the books in the bookcase until she found three that wouldn't budge.

"Babe what have you got there?"  
"I think there's something behind here, the alcove on the other side is a lot deeper than the depth of this book case"  
I watched as she tilted the books from the top, hearing a mechanism click and saw the bookcase swing out revealing a metal plate in the wall of the fireplace, there was a safe inside the chimney, I stepped forward pulling Steph away, I couldn't afford for this to be a trap.

"Jay we need you in the front room"  
Jay arrived with his equipment, scanning the area and shaking his head.

"Clean Ranger"  
He pulled open the metal plate revealing an electronic safe, shit I didn't have the equipment to open this and that was if I could, it was modern and foreign, not a make I was familiar with.

"Babe I don't think I can open this"  
"Really?"

I shook my head at the confused look on her face; hell she really thought I could open anything.

"Steph even Ranger won't be able to open this, it's state of the art, I'll bet after three wrong codes it locks down as well"  
I nodded as I agreed with what Jay was saying but could tell from the look of her face that she wasn't going to let it beat her.

"You two go look around while I work this out, Jay how many digits for the code?"  
"Seven, usually"

She sat on the floor and took out the file with her papers in and began to read through her research, this could take hours and I wasn't going to hang around and do nothing, so nodding to Jay I went through a door and into another room. This room had been used as a bedroom, a single bed and table sat in the corner, just a bare mattress all linens had been taken, even the bathroom and closet was totally empty. I moved back and walked past Steph who was busy working and went into the hall and started the task of looking around. I found Santos at the back door, keeping watch.

"Anything?"  
"No, the place has been tidied up, nothing left except the furniture, this was probably what it was like when they came here"

I wondered into the lounge noting the couches and chairs and an empty bookcase against the wall, Steph had used a book she found here, a poetry book, so why had they moved the books from here but not from the office?"  
"Steph found a safe in the front room and I think it was used as an office"  
"Can you open it?"  
"No, it's too sophisticated"  
"What now?"  
"Let's see what Steph comes up with"

I wondered back into the first room surprised to see Steph stood in front of the safe with Jay looking on, I watched in fascination as her eyes scanned the sheet of paper in front of her obviously trying to decide what digits to use, I suppose I could always send a team to blast the dam thing out. Finally she made her move and then stopped and looked at Jay.

"You know Jay I'm going with the first one, that's the one that makes more sense to me"

As he shrugged his shoulders in resignation Steph punched in the seven digits and I think we all held our breath, there was a whirring sound and as Steph pulled the handle down Jay literally picked her up with an arm around her waist and tumbled to the floor rolling them both. Steph screamed and then looked at Jay as he lay covering her, I didn't know whether to laugh or kick him for that little stunt.

"It could be a trap"  
"What?"

"Let me check it out first okay?"  
"I suppose"

I watched as Steph sat up and Jay went to the safe, he checked it out visually and then used a scanner.

"I can't see any wires or detect any signals from it, it's all yours"  
He stepped back as I stepped forward, feeling Steph behind me; I turned to look at her.

"Okay I'm nosey, I just want to see what's inside"

There was only one shelf inside and it held a thick book that I took out, weird it was a science fiction book by Gregory Benford, Alternate Wars, not one I was familiar with but probably one I'd have to read now.

"Jay put this in an evidence bag, there may be something inside it or something that needs translating"

I looked again in the safe, nothing was there so closed it back up.

"Babe what was the code for the safe?"  
"Benford"  
"How did you work that one out"  
"Well when he was at school he aced at science but was told he was a dreamer, then at University he was part of the literature group and then I remembered all the books in the bookcase in the lounge, lots of science fiction but I'm sure he had every book that Benford wrote"

"So what's your plan now?"  
"Talk to neighbors"

She put on the glasses as we left the house and walked to the house opposite the one belonging to Harvey, I could almost sense the change in her persona as she morphed into a teenage girl, shit I hope this worked, or at least got us something to follow up on. After she knocked on the door an elderly man answered obviously annoyed at the intrusion that is until his eyes landed on Steph. She linked her hands behind her back and bent one knee inward going for someone who seemed nervous, and possibly demure, hell the old man was already eyeing her up.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you but I just heard something happened to Uncle Jimmy and he was, well he was like an uncle to me, part of the family and such good friends with my family, my dad always said if anything happened to him I had to go right away to Uncle Jimmy because he'd help me"

"The man across the road?"  
She nodded her head and while her face was lowered she looked up with her huge blue eyes.

"Please say you know what happened to him"  
I could see a lone tear make its way down her cheek, how the hell did she do that?  
"Oh my poor dear, he died"  
"He died?"

"He was really ill, wouldn't come out of the house, though I'm sure he did go to work occasionally"  
"He loved his work, didn't they offer to pick him up I mean it wasn't far was it?"  
"Well I don't think so"  
"Did he still work at that electronics company?"  
"I'm not sure, wait Florence my wife might know, she tried to offer to help but he wouldn't let her in the house"  
"Oh poor Uncle Jimmy, he was such a proud man"  
The man disappeared inside and Steph turned to me with a big grin on her face, I felt like crushing her to me but knew that would break our cover. A woman shuffled to the door, obviously arthritis had gotten its hold on her and she certainly looked older than her husband but she wasn't as enamored with the sight of Steph as the husband had been, maybe it was time for me to do some magic.

"Ma'am, we apologize for the disruption but if you could perhaps spare us a minute of your time?"  
"I don't know about that"  
"My client here has had the misfortune of losing her family and it was her fathers wish that Jimmy, sorry James, would be someone she could turn to for help"  
"He never mentioned anyone"  
"They were close friends at university and though maybe they moved apart James was a rock in her fathers life"  
"She after his money, cause he aint got none, put everything he had into that company"  
"No Ma'am, her father made excellent financial provision for her, she wanted to know about her father and James"  
"I really don't know what I can tell you"  
"Maybe someone at the company?"  
"I suppose, I mean he spent hours there working before he got so ill"  
"Which company was that Ma'am?"

"Oh dear, it was the name of a Greek god, or maybe Roman, Minerva that's it, I laughed because she was female"

"Is that in New York?"

"This side of the Hudson, Westchester I think, he was so upset when there was talk of moving the company further north, but he said that if that was what needed to be done then maybe he'd have to move as well, so sad"

"Ma'am you've been so helpful, thank you"

"I thought maybe the house had been sold, there were some comings and goings over there last week, but one of the gentlemen said they were there to make sure all of James's personal possessions were packed up properly"

"Good day Ma'am"

As I turned I heard the door behind me close and with my hand at her back guided Steph back to the car, we couldn't be seen going into the house because I was sure the woman opposite would be looking through the drapes.

"Santos, Jay returning to base, use the rear exit, we have some nosy neighbors out here"  
"Roger, pick you up at the end of the road"

"Well that went well"  
"You never fail to amaze me Babe with some of your tactics"  
"You didn't do badly yourself, she certainly fell for your charm"

"We have more to work with now so maybe we can get a break"  
"I'll go see Lula tomorrow"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, and I need to do it soon before I chicken out and then regret it"

It was a couple of hours drive back to Trenton and after half an hour I could see that Steph had fallen asleep, I looked at her face thinking how young and innocent she looked, she wasn't a stunning looking woman but there was something about her that demanded attention, she had smooth skin and the perfect nose, everything about her was radiant and to me she was beautiful, especially as she was now, so natural. I focused on the road and the cars around me, the traffic was light and I knew the others were behind me. I drove straight to Rangeman and parked the SUV next to the lift, as I turned off the engine she stirred and her eyelids fluttered open then she smiled at me before frowning.

"Are we back already?"  
"Yes"  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't much company for you while you drove"  
I ran my hand down her cheek and gave a half smile.

"You should be well rested then for what I have planned for you"  
Her eyes went wide as she realized what I was saying and then moved so fast that by the time I'd opened the door and rounded the car she was already in the lift. I could hear giggles as the doors closed and made a very hasty ascent of the stairs catching her just as she was about to open the door to the apartment. She dashed in and ran to the other side of the table and then what she did next was my undoing. She took on the posture she'd had when she talked to the neighbor, but this time her finger went inside her mouth.

"Oh Mr Manoso have I been a bad girl?"

Shit she was definitely playing with fire.

"Oh Miss Plum I think you've been a very naughty girl"

I feigned going to the left and caught her as she tried to run past on my right, twirling her around in my arms before I set her feet on the floor and allowed my hands to slide up the back of her bare thighs to the lycra shorts underneath the skirt. With my hands inside the shorts I pulled her into my body, shit she wasn't wearing anything under the shorts and I had all the trappings of a suit and tie.

I dragged myself away from her feeling the loss of her body against mine.  
"Babe we have a meeting in ten minutes"

"I don't want to go"  
"That's okay, I'll let you know what we decide"  
I knew that would have her moving, if nothing else she was far too involved in this to be left out. I heard the shower running and debated joining her but then realized if I did that neither one of us would make the meeting. As she came out of the shower I went in, I didn't need a lot of time but definitely needed to wash away the smell of sex before sitting down in front of the men. We were both dressed in Rangeman uniform and yes we were the last to arrive and it didn't matter that we'd both showered because Steph's face was radiant displaying exactly what we'd been up to. I pulled down a serious face and went to the head of the table giving Santos a hard look after he'd looked at Steph and smiled, no way would I allow him to embarrass her.

"Jay any luck with following materials?

"Not really, there are too many private companies getting into this business. But you need to know, that book you found today, set off the alarms, so I'm having to use an isolation chamber to look at it"  
"Alarms for what"  
"Radiation, it's only reading at a low level, but I think we need to be cautious"  
After the incident we'd had with that dam Russian I'd had sensors deployed in all the main areas, but shit I wasn't expecting a book to carry anything. I sensed Steph move next to me and saw her expression change to a frown.

"Babe?"  
"Well it's just that according to the records Harvey died of a nasty form of leukemia, could it have been from radiation?"  
I looked toward Bobby who was nodding his head.

"It could be, but there are chemicals out there that are just as deadly mostly it's benzene and vinyl chlorides that are highlighted in the research"

"Hector anything on the streets?"  
"Everyone is being very cautious, some talk of jobs for cash but I can't get a line on that"

"Tank did you find out anything on Huntington?"

"No more than Little Girl did, he's real good at covering his tracks"

"Santos, Alfonso Stretch?"

"Not really, according to a search he 's only been in existence for six years and non of the addresses or jobs pan out, he's as much of a ghost as Huntington"

"Tank do we have staff here from the other offices?"  
"Due in tomorrow, I'll let you know who we get and how best to use them"

"Okay the trip today brought us a few leads. Jay has a science fiction book he's currently looking at and we managed to get the name of Harvey's last employer, Minerva, Westchester"  
"I'll look into that"  
I looked up and nodded my head at Ram pleased that he'd volunteered for that job.

"Steph is going to visit Lula tomorrow, Hector can we cover that?"

"Si, visitors have to go through scanners, similar to airport security, but I can set her up with some things that will get through"  
"Any chance of someone going in with her?"  
"Si, I can go visit someone at the same time"  
I felt better with that suggestion from Hector, though security should be tight at the prison I really didn't like the idea of her being in there by herself.

"Meeting then same time tomorrow"

I watched as the men stood up to leave and watched when Jay spoke to Steph, she nodded her head at him as she laughed, then Hector was by her side speaking so quietly she had to lean in toward him. Again she nodded her head as he left and then turned to me.

"I should probably call my parents and see what they're up to, you staying down here?"  
"Yeah, I've some work to get caught up on, but I'll try not to be too long"

Unfortunately the paperwork had piled up a bit over the last few days, and I needed to get caught up, the reviews on the employees at all of the offices were now complete so I had to go through each one to evaluate their performance and agree to the targets that had been agreed on. Fortunately for me there didn't seem to be any problems at the moment, that hadn't always been the case and too often I'd had to fly to one of the other offices to put into place procedures that would either result in someone being told to leave or in a minority of cases see a total turn around of their attitude. Trenton was the most stable in terms of employment we had men here who worked effectively and were always keen to improve. By the time I'd gone through Boston and Miami I decided I'd done enough and tidying up the paperwork headed for seven. I realized we'd not eaten much today and I actually felt hungry, I hoped that Steph had decided to eat and not to wait for me. As I went through the door I dropped my keys in the tray and toed off my boots, walking barefoot through to the lounge, Steph was curled up on the couch, a robe pulled tight around her and her damp hair falling past her shoulders, watching TV with a glass of water in her hands. There was an empty plate on the table in front of her so I turned and headed for the kitchen looking inside the fridge and finding a plated dish of salad and tuna. As I turned Steph came in and washed her plate and then got out a bottle of water. Together we walked back into the lounge and as I sat on the couch I began to eat my salad.

"Is that enough for you?"  
"Yes, why?"  
"It just doesn't seem enough to keep you going"  
"I'll fill up with a smoothie if I need to. How are your parents?"  
"Good, Mum seems so much more relaxed and Dad actually talked to me on the phone"  
"Have you told them anything about what's going on?"  
"Hell no, I mean the way my Mum's attitude toward me has changed I don't want to spoil it, it's like she's been replaced by an alien and I'm all for keeping the status quo"

"Your Grandma?"  
"Don't know what she's up to, she hardly talks to them and when she hinted to Dad she might move there for good he said he was all for that"  
"Any other conversations?"  
"How'd you know?"

"You have that lost look in your eyes"  
"Yeah well Connie called, she knows about Lula but not any details, I'm sure she was just calling to see if I had any information but I feigned ignorance, then she told me that they were struggling with skips, Barnyard's been brought in by Vinnie, but she's no good. Maybe I need to start earning a living and get myself down to the Bonds Office"  
"How about we do what we talked about?"

"A partner and shadow?"  
"Yes"  
"I can't let you do that, hell that's crazy, three men with me? It's gonna cost you a fortune and you'll be down staff"  
I could see her point, from a business perspective she was right, but maybe if she located the skips and two men brought them in so the money came into Rangeman that might make more sense.

"What if you found them and two of the men brought them in and the money came to Rangeman?"  
"How would that help me to pay my bills?"  
"You'd be employed full time at Rangeman"  
"What, I'd have to stay inside all of the time?"  
"No, of course not"  
"That's not what it sounded like to me"  
I could see the anger slowly rise inside of her, shit she was mad at the suggestion and mad at me, but how else could we resolve this without putting her at risk?

"Steph, what would you suggest then?"  
That threw her, I suppose she'd spent most of her life fighting against what people tried to make her do that her automatic reaction was to just keep doing what she was doing without thinking about it. I could almost hear the thoughts swirling through her head and twice she opened her mouth to say something and immediately closed it. I lent back on the couch waiting for an answer watching her carefully.

"I don't have an answer and you know it, but no way am I going to be confined to this building sitting at a computer all day long"  
With that she got up and stomped her way into the bedroom, shit how did I put this right, I mean I couldn't come up with an answer either. I walked to the door and saw her laid on the bed, her head at the foot of the bed and a pillow over her face, but the way she was pressing the pillow to her face gave me the clue that she wasn't thinking and that she was upset. I dropped to my knees at her head and slowly teased her fingers from a death grip on the pillow and moved it away, tears were running down the side of her face into her hair, so using my thumbs I wiped them away and then held them against her cheeks.  
"I'm sorry babe"  
"No you're right, I'm stupid"  
"No you're not"  
"Yes I am, I can't even do my job properly without having someone with me"  
"Babe you got it wrong, I only want you to be safe"

"Because I can't keep myself safe?"  
"No because there's someone out there who wants to hurt you"

I felt that we were going round in circles and it wasn't about what I'd suggested it was all about her insecurities, it was as if I had undermined her ability to do her job, and that was what everyone around her was always doing. Morelli through his shouting and derogatory remarks, her mother trying to get her married and into a safe job, the police officers making bets on the next disaster she had and she thought I was doing the same.

"Babe you have the highest capture rate in the state, higher than Rangeman and we use teams, don't ever think that you're not good at your job"

Her hands came over mine and she looked up into my eyes.  
"How is it you always know what to say to me"  
"Because I love you Querida"  
"I love you too, I'm sorry, I just feel so useless"  
"Babe you have done more than anyone else on the team and tomorrow you may find out more"

"Hell, I'm not looking forward to that"  
"You don't have to go if you don't want to"  
"No, I said I'd go and I will"

"I'm going to get a shower"

When I came back into the bedroom Steph was already under the covers as I slipped in beside her she turned into me an arm over my chest and a leg between mine, I pushed an arm under her shoulder and the other on her hips and pulled her to my side and that's how we fell asleep, together.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

I dragged myself away from her feeling the loss of her body against mine.  
"Babe we have a meeting in ten minutes"

"I don't want to go"  
"That's okay, I'll let you know what we decide"  
I knew that would have her moving, if nothing else she was far too involved in this to be left out. I heard the shower running and debated joining her but then realized if I did that neither one of us would make the meeting. As she came out of the shower I went in, I didn't need a lot of time but definitely needed to wash away the smell of sex before sitting down in front of the men. We were both dressed in Rangeman uniform and yes we were the last to arrive and it didn't matter that we'd both showered because Steph's face was radiant displaying exactly what we'd been up to. I pulled down a serious face and went to the head of the table giving Santos a hard look after he'd looked at Steph and smiled, no way would I allow him to embarrass her.

"Jay any luck with following materials?

"Not really, there are too many private companies getting into this business. But you need to know, that book you found today, set off the alarms, so I'm having to use an isolation chamber to look at it"  
"Alarms for what"  
"Radiation, it's only reading at a low level, but I think we need to be cautious"  
After the incident we'd had with that dam Russian I'd had sensors deployed in all the main areas, but shit I wasn't expecting a book to carry anything. I sensed Steph move next to me and saw her expression change to a frown.

"Babe?"  
"Well it's just that according to the records Harvey died of a nasty form of leukemia, could it have been from radiation?"  
I looked toward Bobby who was nodding his head.

"It could be, but there are chemicals out there that are just as deadly mostly it's benzene and vinyl chlorides that are highlighted in the research"

"Hector anything on the streets?"  
"Everyone is being very cautious, some talk of jobs for cash but I can't get a line on that"

"Tank did you find out anything on Huntington?"

"No more than Little Girl did, he's real good at covering his tracks"

"Santos, Alfonso Stretch?"

"Not really, according to a search he 's only been in existence for six years and non of the addresses or jobs pan out, he's as much of a ghost as Huntington"

"Tank do we have staff here from the other offices?"  
"Due in tomorrow, I'll let you know who we get and how best to use them"

"Okay the trip today brought us a few leads. Jay has a science fiction book he's currently looking at and we managed to get the name of Harvey's last employer, Minerva, Westchester"  
"I'll look into that"  
I looked up and nodded my head at Ram pleased that he'd volunteered for that job.

"Steph is going to visit Lula tomorrow, Hector can we cover that?"

"Si, visitors have to go through scanners, similar to airport security, but I can set her up with some things that will get through"  
"Any chance of someone going in with her?"  
"Si, I can go visit someone at the same time"  
I felt better with that suggestion from Hector, though security should be tight at the prison I really didn't like the idea of her being in there by herself.

"Meeting then same time tomorrow"

I watched as the men stood up to leave and watched when Jay spoke to Steph, she nodded her head at him as she laughed, then Hector was by her side speaking so quietly she had to lean in toward him. Again she nodded her head as he left and then turned to me.

"I should probably call my parents and see what they're up to, you staying down here?"  
"Yeah, I've some work to get caught up on, but I'll try not to be too long"

Unfortunately the paperwork had piled up a bit over the last few days, and I needed to get caught up, the reviews on the employees at all of the offices were now complete so I had to go through each one to evaluate their performance and agree to the targets that had been agreed on. Fortunately for me there didn't seem to be any problems at the moment, that hadn't always been the case and too often I'd had to fly to one of the other offices to put into place procedures that would either result in someone being told to leave or in a minority of cases see a total turn around of their attitude. Trenton was the most stable in terms of employment we had men here who worked effectively and were always keen to improve. By the time I'd gone through Boston and Miami I decided I'd done enough and tidying up the paperwork headed for seven. I realized we'd not eaten much today and I actually felt hungry, I hoped that Steph had decided to eat and not to wait for me. As I went through the door I dropped my keys in the tray and toed off my boots, walking barefoot through to the lounge, Steph was curled up on the couch, a robe pulled tight around her and her damp hair falling past her shoulders, watching TV with a glass of water in her hands. There was an empty plate on the table in front of her so I turned and headed for the kitchen looking inside the fridge and finding a plated dish of salad and tuna. As I turned Steph came in and washed her plate and then got out a bottle of water. Together we walked back into the lounge and as I sat on the couch I began to eat my salad.

"Is that enough for you?"  
"Yes, why?"  
"It just doesn't seem enough to keep you going"  
"I'll fill up with a smoothie if I need to. How are your parents?"  
"Good, Mum seems so much more relaxed and Dad actually talked to me on the phone"  
"Have you told them anything about what's going on?"  
"Hell no, I mean the way my Mum's attitude toward me has changed I don't want to spoil it, it's like she's been replaced by an alien and I'm all for keeping the status quo"

"Your Grandma?"  
"Don't know what she's up to, she hardly talks to them and when she hinted to Dad she might move there for good he said he was all for that"  
"Any other conversations?"  
"How'd you know?"

"You have that lost look in your eyes"  
"Yeah well Connie called, she knows about Lula but not any details, I'm sure she was just calling to see if I had any information but I feigned ignorance, then she told me that they were struggling with skips, Barnyard's been brought in by Vinnie, but she's no good. Maybe I need to start earning a living and get myself down to the Bonds Office"  
"How about we do what we talked about?"

"A partner and shadow?"  
"Yes"  
"I can't let you do that, hell that's crazy, three men with me? It's gonna cost you a fortune and you'll be down staff"  
I could see her point, from a business perspective she was right, but maybe if she located the skips and two men brought them in so the money came into Rangeman that might make more sense.

"What if you found them and two of the men brought them in and the money came to Rangeman?"  
"How would that help me to pay my bills?"  
"You'd be employed full time at Rangeman"  
"What, I'd have to stay inside all of the time?"  
"No, of course not"  
"That's not what it sounded like to me"  
I could see the anger slowly rise inside of her, shit she was mad at the suggestion and mad at me, but how else could we resolve this without putting her at risk?

"Steph, what would you suggest then?"  
That threw her, I suppose she'd spent most of her life fighting against what people tried to make her do that her automatic reaction was to just keep doing what she was doing without thinking about it. I could almost hear the thoughts swirling through her head and twice she opened her mouth to say something and immediately closed it. I lent back on the couch waiting for an answer watching her carefully.

"I don't have an answer and you know it, but no way am I going to be confined to this building sitting at a computer all day long"  
With that she got up and stomped her way into the bedroom, shit how did I put this right, I mean I couldn't come up with an answer either. I walked to the door and saw her laid on the bed, her head at the foot of the bed and a pillow over her face, but the way she was pressing the pillow to her face gave me the clue that she wasn't thinking and that she was upset. I dropped to my knees at her head and slowly teased her fingers from a death grip on the pillow and moved it away, tears were running down the side of her face into her hair, so using my thumbs I wiped them away and then held them against her cheeks.  
"I'm sorry babe"  
"No you're right, I'm stupid"  
"No you're not"  
"Yes I am, I can't even do my job properly without having someone with me"  
"Babe you got it wrong, I only want you to be safe"

"Because I can't keep myself safe?"  
"No because there's someone out there who wants to hurt you"

I felt that we were going round in circles and it wasn't about what I'd suggested it was all about her insecurities, it was as if I had undermined her ability to do her job, and that was what everyone around her was always doing. Morelli through his shouting and derogatory remarks, her mother trying to get her married and into a safe job, the police officers making bets on the next disaster she had and she thought I was doing the same.

"Babe you have the highest capture rate in the state, higher than Rangeman and we use teams, don't ever think that you're not good at your job"

Her hands came over mine and she looked up into my eyes.  
"How is it you always know what to say to me"  
"Because I love you Querida"  
"I love you too, I'm sorry, I just feel so useless"  
"Babe you have done more than anyone else on the team and tomorrow you may find out more"

"Hell, I'm not looking forward to that"  
"You don't have to go if you don't want to"  
"No, I said I'd go and I will"

"I'm going to get a shower"

When I came back into the bedroom Steph was already under the covers as I slipped in beside her she turned into me an arm over my chest and a leg between mine, I pushed an arm under her shoulder and the other on her hips and pulled her to my side and that's how we fell asleep, together.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

A noise had me coming from sleep to full alertness, a noise I didn't recognize, I looked around the room and immediately saw that Steph was in the closet trying to find something.

"Babe?"  
"Sorry, a box fell off the shelf"  
"What are you doing?"  
"Trying to find my yoga pants, ah, here they are"  
I looked at the clock and closed my eyes only when I looked again it still said 5.15, I had another 15 minutes before my alarm went off.

"Babe, what you up to?"  
"I promised Jay I'd meet him at 5.30"  
"Why so early?"  
"Well there won't be anyone down there"  
I watched as she pulled on the yoga pants, sports bra and sleeveless T-shirt then as she walked from the room carrying her trainers.

"See you later"

Well there was no point in going back to sleep so I changed into gym gear and headed downstairs. As I went in I could see Steph stepping off the treadmill and going onto the mats, Jay nodded at me and then he started to go through the moves from yesterday. I ran on the treadmill for fifteen minutes then used one of the machines to focus on the muscles in my arms, lastly I did pushups and squat thrusts and decided to call it a day, with a towel around my neck I watched what was happening on the mats. Steph was moving better today; she was now blocking any blows with her arms and on the odd occasion was managing to get a jab in at Jay, she could probably do with a session on punching the bag. As I watched though I could see the concentration on her face, she was planning something and it came as a surprise to me and Jay as well when she literally launched herself at him, her arms round his hips and her shoulders in his stomach, he went down like a felled tree with Steph laid next to him. As she didn't move I ran over to where they were only to hear both of them laughing and talking.

"You owe me Jay"  
"That was a low move Paladin"  
"Paladin?"  
"A fighter for a reason"  
"I don't follow"  
"Well I suppose doughnuts is reason enough"

"You remembered?"

"Of course"

He helped her up and handed her a towel then turned to me.

"She's learning fast, she can be a bit scrappy but if that gets her out of trouble then good for her"

"Thanks Jay"  
"What for?"  
"Getting her to train"  
"I thought you would have that covered"  
"She hates to run"  
"No shit"

"And maybe how I train the men wasn't what she needed"  
"She needs to feel confident in doing something and maybe she thought she'd let you down, you can't lose if you don't compete"  
I suppose I'd never looked at it from that perspective, but he was right, if she felt she had a chance she would give it her all. I walked behind her and with an arm around her shoulder we took the lift up to seven.

"You did good today Babe, I'm proud of you"

"Well he did say if I managed to get the better of him he'd buy me some doughnuts and you know I have a hunger for doughnuts"

I made a smoothie for Steph and a protein shake for myself and then started to look for something for breakfast. I turned at the knock on the door and let Ella in, taking a tray from her and placing it on the kitchen bar.

"I hear Stephanie did well in the gym this morning"  
"How do you know that?"  
"I surprised some of the men watching the monitor"  
"Don't let Steph know that, she'd be mortified if she knew she was being watched"  
"Oh don't worry about that, I threatened to put itching powder in their laundry if there was even a hint that they'd seen it"

I smiled at that, yes that's exactly what she would do as well, who said I was the boss of the company when Ella wielded so much control around here. I made my way to the bedroom and seeing the bathroom empty on the way veered there to shower first, a quick five minutes later, dressed in cargos and T-shirt I found Steph investigating the dishes on the tray.

"Ella is a goddess in disguise"  
"Why's that?"  
"Pancakes and maple syrup"

As we sat and ate I wasn't sure about Steph's description of Ella, devil incarnate was a better description as I shifted uncomfortably reacting to the sounds that Steph was making.

"What are you up to this morning Babe?"  
"I need to see Hector first and thought I'd catch up with some of the research from the guys"  
"We'll have lunch here together then"

"It's a date then"  
I rolled that answer around in my mind, a date, hell I hadn't been on a date since high school and come to think of it I should really take Steph out on a proper date, something to think about. We parted ways as I got out on five while Steph continued down to Hector's office, I wasn't sure what he had planned for her visit this afternoon but would be sure to find out before she left. Tank had set up a meeting with a new client here at Rangeman so I spent the next hour going through the benefits of using our company as their security firm for the house that they lived in, maybe some input from Steph would be helpful as there were children involved as well. Steph was far more sensitive to the placement of cameras and sensors than some of the men might be. I'd just completed all the reviews for the men here in Trenton when I heard a ruckus out in the corridor so went to investigate, not surprised to find Steph in the middle of it. From the doorway I could see her handing out doughnuts to the men, they were worse than kids when it came to treats, but I didn't make my presence obvious, they knew I didn't approve of too much sugar in their diet, it made them slow and the business we were in meant I needed them alert. I knew the minute that Steph was aware of me; she went still and then turned to look at me a flush rising through her cheeks. As the men and the doughnuts disappeared she came over to me and stood looking down at the floor.

"Sorry, but Jay bought so many doughnuts I felt I needed to share them out"  
I lifted her chin to look at her face.

"Just don't make a habit of it, okay?"  
The smile she gave me was enough to think that she could bring doughnuts here whenever she wanted.

Kissing her forehead I returned to my work while she went into the conference room next door. A knock at the door disturbed me finishing off the reviews on the statistics of break ins and call outs and I looked up to see Tank sat in the chair opposite me.

"Tank?"

"I just left Little Girl with the research on those guys, maybe she can find something I missed"  
"If anyone can she 'll find something"  
"Ram's gone over to that factory, seems it's up for rent, so they've obviously moved again"

"We always seem to be one step behind them"  
"We'll find something, we're still at level 1 but nothing's been seen"

"Stay at that level until this is over. Have the men from the other offices arrived?"  
"Yeah, I've put them in the rota so at least that gives us some flexibility"  
"Whose going with Steph this afternoon?"  
"Jay, he said he could try to hack into their Wi-Fi and maybe watch what goes on"

"Sounds reasonable, he doesn't have the look of a Rangeman but he hasn't lost the edge"  
"I think Hector went through some of the electronics he wants her to wear"  
"As long as she gets them through the scanner"  
As Tank left I checked the visiting times and rules at the prison and decided it had to be time for lunch I grabbed some sandwiches for both of us from the break room and went up to seven. As soon as laid eyes on Steph I could tell she was feeling anxious but didn't say anything, I'd let her talk first just passing her a pack of sandwiches instead.

"I can't eat these"

"You need to eat Babe"  
"I know so I had some of Ella's soup from the break room"

"Any joy with the research?"  
"Maybe"

"Please Babe don't you go following a lead without me"  
"I won't, I'm just waiting for someone to get back to me, when I have something you'll be the first to know"

"Okay, so what toys did you get from Hector?"  
"Well he changed the lenses in those glasses to tinted so they'd look like sunglasses and suggested when I got inside to either rest them on my head or hang them from the front of my sweater"  
"Do you mind if I keep watch?"  
"No, I'd prefer that"  
"What else?"  
"A new watch he said you'd arranged for me to have it because there's a panic button and tracker in it. Ranger it really is a beautiful watch, thank you"

I'd ordered it especially as soon as I realized the other one had been stolen, I don't know why I hadn't done it sooner but as she seemed more cooperative to being tracked maybe the timing was right.

"If you take a bag inside they make you leave it in a locker so maybe leaving it in the car would be easier"  
"I know, I had to call in and log my request to visit, I just hope Lula doesn't refuse to see me"

"You're nervous aren't you?"  
She looked up at me and nodded her head, chewing on her bottom lip. I lent forward and teased at her lip with my mouth eliciting a smile.

"I don't know why, maybe it's just having to face Lula"  
"Jay's taking you isn't he?"  
"Yeah, he thought he'd be less noticeable than you and he said something about hacking their system"  
If I was being honest with myself I had wanted to take her, to give her some courage and maybe pick up the pieces if things went wrong between her and Lula, was I jealous that Jay was taking her? Yeah I think I was, not a feeling that I was used to having.

"Babe I would have taken you and waited for you"  
"I know and I'll miss you not being there when I come out"

"If you need me there then say it, I'll be right there for you"

I left her to shower and change on her own and marveled at the image she presented, black denim hipster jeans and a black short sleeved sweater complimented the flow of her hair around her face, a face that had minimum makeup, her mascara for courage and a natural colored lip gloss. The sweater had a cowl neck so would allow her to hang her glasses there; I just hoped she didn't have them taken off her. I fastened the watch around her wrist, kissing the inside of her wrist and then as she picked up a short grey leather jacket we headed down to the garage. Jay was waiting by the Landrover, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt, giving the image that he was a civilian.

"Good you have the jacket, Hector added another camera and mic just in case they wouldn't let you take in the glasses"

As I pulled her to me I gave her a mind blowing kiss, enough to have me reacting to her and pleased when she wobbled slightly as I let her go.

"Be careful"  
I stayed and watched as they drove out of the garage, for some reason I was feeling anxious as well, was it because I wasn't with her? I hoped so. Back in the conference room I opened up the laptop that Hector had set up and hit the icon that would bring image and sound to me. They'd arrived at the car park and I was pleased to see that Jay was walking her to the entrance for visitors but then the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I heard a voice behind her, what the hell was he doing there?

"Cupcake what the hell are you doing here?"  
As Steph turned Morelli came onto the screen.

"None of your business Morelli"

"Since when do you call me that?"  
"Since you shouted at me in the police station"  
"Come on Cupcake, I was worried about you, I don't like it when you seem to get into trouble"  
"Fine, so just go"  
She turned to resume her walk to the prison and I could now see Jay take a defensive stance, his eyes showing his dislike for Morelli even though he didn't really know him. The scene suddenly changed and I could see that Morelli had taken hold of her arm and turned her to face him and how quickly Jay retaliated by removing his hand from her arm.

"New bodyguard Cupcake, where's Manoso he tired of you already?"

"No he's a friend that offered to give me a ride over here"  
"Cupcake, look I know you thought there was something going on between me and Terry, but there isn't, it was honestly work, I need for us to talk and settle back to where we were"  
"Not happening Morelli"

"Why don't we go for a drink instead of you going in there and I can drop you off at your apartment later, maybe get a take away for tonight?"

I saw her turn and carry on walking but heard the shout from behind her.

"Not a place you want to be visiting Cupcake"

As she came to go through the entrance she turned to Jay.

"Thanks for that Jay"  
"No worries, you okay?"  
"Yeah, I suppose"

"Remember you are strong and brave and a fighter, Paladin"

I heard her laugh as she went in through the door that led to the area for visitors. I saw her look around at the other people waiting, mainly women a few children and Hector stood at the back of the room, she didn't linger on anyone in particular and as soon as it was her turn to go through the scanner I saw the scene change as the glasses and her coat went into a box. She picked them up at the other side and hooked the glasses onto the neck of her sweater meaning I had to rotate the image by 90 degrees to regain a normal view. She gave her name, showed ID and told them who she was there to visit and then again was stood waiting for the doors to open. So far so good, now it was all down to how Lula reacted to her visit. As the doors opened a guard came and escorted each visitor to a chair in front of a metal table, shit she was one of the furthest from the door, every inmate who came out would have to walk past her, I just hoped there was no one there that knew her and made a scene. She watched as inmates were brought out, Lula was the third to come through and from her demeanor she was looking scared and worried, not the Lula I knew, there was no swagger in her walk or the brash entrance she was known for, she looked, for a better word, broken. She sat opposite Steph looking down at her hands.

"Hi Lula"  
"Why'd you come see me?"  
"I wanted to"  
"I don't deserve it"

"Well I'm here now"  
"I don't know what the hell got into me, I mean I know the stealing was running away with me, but, oh god Steph, I never meant for anyone to get hurt"  
"Why don't you tell me about it?"

"The stealing, well my mam had me at it before I could walk, that's the only thing that ever made her take notice of me. She'd load the pram up underneath my blanket, mainly food 'cos we didn't have any, and then as I got older it were other things. It was only as I got older that I understood why we had no money, drugs, she'd spend every dollar on drugs, so I just kept shoplifting. Then when she really took notice at how good I'd got she expected me to steal things she could pawn. I suppose stealing's something I was good at and well; even after she died I'd steal whenever I could. I liked to buy new things, never had anything new as a kid. Steph I'm so sorry, it was like an addiction and I couldn't stop"

I could see the tears pouring down Lula's face, hell I could almost sympathize with how she'd got so carried away with stealing, making it feel like it was a necessity, never thinking about how the victim might suffer, only feeding that need.

"Did you steal things from skip's houses?"  
"Sometimes, just little things, or things I thought no one would notice if they went missing"  
"Tank's medallion?"  
"I didn't steal that, I found it"

"But you knew it was his and he'd lost it"  
"I suppose, I put it somewhere safe and then as time went by I couldn't give it back without him thinking it was odd, so I pawned it"

I could tell from the sound of her voice that Steph had moved through the feelings of sympathy she had for Lula, Steph was far too honest to really understand the betrayal of a friend.

"I'd tried to stop, hell that watch of yours gave me nightmares, it wasn't as though it worked, but it gave me a wake up call when I thought through what I'd done"  
"It was sentimental to me Lula, someone important gave it to me"  
"I know now"  
"The gun?"

"I was low on cash, what with buying that dress when I was with you, and that fella just made the suggestion, it was too much money to miss out on"  
"Lula it was used to kill someone"

"I thought he'd just sell it on the streets and maybe someone like your grandma would buy it, no harm done"

"Who was he Lula?"

"A skip we'd taken in, though I never thought he'd be one for selling stuff like that, looks can be so deceiving and he sure could change his looks, he seemed"

At that precise moment a shrill alarm sounded around them, was it the end of visiting? But then the lights in the place went out and a fear clutched at my heart. Alarms started blaring here at Rangeman and then I heard the alert go off first from Hector, then Steph's watch followed by one from Jay.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I rushed through to the monitors to hear the men talking.

"Alarm went off at the prison and we know Steph was there so we pulled our alarms"  
"Good reaction Hal, what's going on?"  
"Police have been notified of a riot going down at the prison"  
Tank came in as Hal gave that information.

"Tank call the chief and ask if he needs Rangeman assistance, no tell him he has it. Let's get two teams suited and moving"

"Have you got eyes on Steph?"  
"Too dark"

I ran to my office and pulled out my vest and an assortment of weapons and then on the way downstairs called Jay, maybe he would have more information, I switched my phone to the app that connected me to Stephs camera and mic and fitted one of the speakers in my ear.

"Santos you connect to Jay while I drive, Tank and Bobby with me, Cal, Vince, Miguel take another SUV, Hal on comms here"

Every man was ready to go and we were soon out of the garage driving far too quickly, but I didn't care, I needed to get to Steph. There was no sound coming from the mic in the glasses, had she lost them or was there a problem with the signal.

"Jay's switching to the unit on her jacket, the glasses must have got broken"

I tried to listen to what was coming from the ear bud but the sounds seemed distorted unless she was hiding somewhere quietly and the sound I was hearing was coming from somewhere else. We passed the cordon set up by the police, any officer knew we were better equipped and trained to deal with something like this, and pulled up next to Jay.

"Jay"

He held his pad so that he could show me what he knew.

"Steph was here in the room, talking with Lula, when the alarms sounded, then for some reason she moved through this door into the main prison building. Hector ended up stuck in the visitor's area; he's on his way out. It seems maybe four or five women were moved and Steph was one of them"

"What about the other inmates?"  
"Some tried to sneak out with the visitors but the rest retreated back into the main building"  
"Why did the alarms go off?"  
"There was a failure with some of the electrically controlled doors, they suddenly opened"

"What are we up against?"  
"Not sure, but I think once the doors opened the inmates went mad, guards were overcome so the women now have weapons"  
"Ranger"  
I turned to see Walkden striding toward me, he was the warden of this place.

"Mr Walkden, what do you know?"  
"Somehow doors started opening and consequently inmates decided to run riot, they attacked the guards and took any weapons"  
"Any demands?"  
"The usual, for me to let them walk out of here"  
"And if you don't?"  
"They start killing the guards"  
"Ideas on the ringleaders?"

"I think maybe Sykes may be involved, she was sent here from Edna Mahan, nasty piece of work, done for murder, if I remember right she was brutal and vicious"  
"Where are the civilians?"  
"Civilians?"  
"People who were visiting?"  
"I don't know"  
"Okay where is this woman Sykes?"  
"She's on the first floor, east wing"

I looked at the plans for the prison relieved that this woman didn't seem to be anywhere near to where Jay had put Steph, I just hoped she was still wearing the jacket and watch and none of the inmates had decided they wanted them from her.

"Okay, how many with Sykes?"

"Maybe five, I'm not sure, we still need to get control"  
"How many guards?"  
"Two, the rest of the guards are trying to get women back in their cells, and thank god most are cooperating"  
I took the plans from Walkden and walked back to the men placing it down on the hood of the car and started to look for ways of taking these rogue women out. Tank was already ahead of me with a plan of action.

"There's a fire escape here and here, that leads to the room next to where they are and down the corridor of that wing. Two men up each escape, two along the corridor from the stairs. If we can get a smoke grenade in there then maybe we can force them out"

"Getting the grenade in might be easy, but it won't guarantee those guards safety"  
"Suggestions then Santos"  
"Let them think we're going to give them what they want, start negotiations with them"  
"Santos you up for that?"  
"Yeah, if I go up and along the corridor maybe they'll listen"

"Jay anything from Steph?"  
"No, I don't like it, if she was safe she would try to contact us"  
"So you think maybe someone else has her jacket and watch?"  
"Yeah"

"Have Bobby and Hector on standby to go in and look for her"

I needed to find Steph but until the situation with these women was resolved we wouldn't be allowed to search the prison.  
"Shit, let's get these guards out first and then Walkden can clear the rest of the women back to their cells, maybe then we can do a search"

I informed the warden of our plans and had the SWAT team that had arrived brought up to speed, they would take up positions overlooking the wing and some would be with us. For some reason everyone was real keen for us to sort this out, strange because we were probably the least authorized people here. Then I saw a SWAT commander walking toward me with a smile on his face.

"Ranger glad you're in on this one"  
"Lansky, didn't know you were part of SWAT"  
"Yeah well for once the powers to be decided to have someone with a combat and tactical background to lead the team. So what have we got?"  
I took him through the plan we had devised conscious of the minutes ticking away, we needed to move and move fast.

"Okay I can see you've already deployed some of the team, I'm with you so let's get this show on the road"

Each man had ear buds and mics and we made our way to the designated places.

"Team 1 in place"

"Team 2 in place"  
That meant that Tank and Miguel, Vince and Cal were at the top of the fire escapes each with the addition of a SWAT officer. Santos, Lansky and I were a few doors away from the room where the women had their hostages. I placed a listening devise on the outside of the door and stood back with the others, we needed to get a feel of what was happening inside, maybe if some of the other women were now regretting what was happening we could end this without anyone getting hurt.

"I don't like this Stella, it's gone too quiet"  
"Oh stop moaning will ya, we do as I say an we get outta here"  
"Stella I get out of here in two months, I don't want this to jeopardize my chances of parole"  
"Look we're in this together, look outta the window and keep watch"

"Stella there are men out there with rifles"  
"Out where?"  
"On the roof opposite"  
"So keep away from the window, or betta still stand those two in front of it"  
So far I'd heard four women talk and three were beginning to buckle, time for Santos to do his thing. He stepped forward and stood by the side of the door away from where it was hinged; to see him they'd have to open the door wide open and that would give us the opportunity to get in.

"Ladies I'm hear to listen to your demands"  
"Bout fucking time"

"What is it you think we can do?"  
"Get us outta here"  
"That could be possible, but it won't stop anyone coming after you once you're out"  
"What does he mean Stella?"  
"I mean that this incident will go on your records and when you're caught you'll serve more time in a secure facility"  
"Secure, Stella?"  
"Don't take no notice of him, he's bluffing"  
"Secure in another state, 23 hrs in a cell, 1hr exercise, maybe visitors allowed"  
"Stella I aint doing that"

"You yellow belly, you get back here"

I heard the door open and a petite woman came through the door, she can only have been a teenager, Santos took her arm and passed her back to Tank who was now in the room next door.

"Stella what we going to do"  
"We'll kill these guards one at a time"  
"What! No you can't do that"  
"Why not?"  
"Look you may have nothing to loose but I got a kid on the outside and I want to see her grow up"  
"For fucks sake what do you suggest then?"  
"Let them go Stella, I aint gonna be part of murdering em"

"Why the hell did you agree to this?"  
"This wasn't part of the plan"  
"So, we got creative"  
"No Stella we got greedy and stupid"

Two more women came out of the room, a middle aged woman who was trying really hard to walk with some form of dignity and a younger woman who looked scared to death, again Santos led them to the room next door for Tank to deal with.

"One left behind the door, two stood in front of the window"  
I turned to see Lansky wearing a pair of infrared goggles. I moved to the other side of door with Lansky next to me, and then using hand signals counted down from three. Santos kicked in the door so hard it hit Sykes right in the face, I rolled to the right with Lansky behind me as Santos rolled to the left, all of us coming to a crouched position ready to fire. I let out a breath when we saw the crumpled form of Sykes on the floor, pleased that the force from the door had knocked her out cold. Lansky rolled her onto her front and cuffed her as I went over to the two guards. The two women were stood huddled together, eyes wide, with no intention of moving.

"Ladies, you better go down and see the warden"

The sound of my voice got their attention and still huddled together they walked out of the room.

"Tank hostages secure"  
"Roger that"  
"Lansky you taking over from here?"  
"Men are on their way up to secure the prisoners, thanks for the aid Ranger"  
"No problem, but I have a favor to ask"  
"Shoot"

"A friend of mine was visiting an inmate and got caught up in this and we can't find her"  
"You need help to search the building?"

I nodded as he answered pleased that he would be so accommodating.

"So who we looking for?"  
"Stephanie Plum"

"Do I know her?"  
"No"

"Okay let's start on the ground floor"  
"Jay, Hector, meat the team on the ground floor"  
"Jefe we found coat and watch but no Estefania"

"Hector find out where Lula is"  
"All women secure in cells Lula in C block cell 19"  
"I'll meet you there"

Lansky led the way, with Santos following me, as he seemed to have a plan of the prison on a pad he was carrying, as we walked past the cells there was a deathly hush, doors slid open and closed behind us until we were stood outside the cell designated for Lula.

"Lansky can you get the guards to open this one cell?"  
"Will do"

A moment later the door slid open and a light came on and all I could see were the smears and pools of blood on the floor. There didn't seem to be anyone in here until Lansky made the discovery.

"Under the bunk, there's someone underneath it"

We knelt down to look and under the bunk was a body, her back was facing us but I could see the orange jumpsuit shredded where someone had cut through it and each cut was covered in blood.

"Help me to move her out and then we can see if she's still alive"

The body had her back to us and from her position it wasn't going to be easy to get her out, she was wedged between the floor and the metal work.

"Santos you lift from that end"

With our feet firmly planted and our backs to the frame we each lifted, hearing the groan of the metal work and feeling it lift up.

"Okay I've managed to turn her on her back so we can pull her out"

We each moved in order to pull an arm and leg and slowly eased the body out, away from the bunk, I knew it wasn't my Babe but still closed my eyes as I recognized the face of Lula, her eyes staring back at me. Shit even Lula didn't deserve to die like this.

"Shit there's another under here"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

I turned and crawled on my stomach to see another orange jump suit and then as Lansky pulled on a shoulder a mass of curls fell onto the floor. My heart jumped as I recognized the features of Steph and I gently cradled her head as we maneuvered her from beneath the bunk, her face was deathly pale with bruises forming on her cheeks, but it was the sight of so much blood on her that had me reeling and I was sure there was still blood flowing from wounds. I felt her neck for a pulse but a soft moan from her lips assured me that she was still alive.

"Bobby we need medics in here fast, Steph's injured"

"EMT's on their way with me"

I knelt down beside her taking my shirt off to push it against where I thought the wound was on her stomach, breathing a sigh of relief when Bobby came in. He asked for the room to be cleared and using a knife cut away at the orange jumpsuit, she still had on her sweater and jeans and the source of the bleeding was coming from her stomach and as Bobby continued to check her over there was another tear in her skin on her shoulder. Her skin had nicks all over the place someone had really gone for her with a knife. Bobby and the EMTs worked quickly to staunch the flow of blood and within minutes had her on a gurney ready to move her. I was beside her holding her hand when a shiver ran through her and I saw her eyes begin to flicker open. Looking into those beautiful blue eyes I recognized a fear pass through them.

"Babe, you're safe now, I'm here with you"

A small smile showed me that she recognized me but then they slowly closed again.

"Ready to transport"

The EMT covered her with a blanket as they lifted the gurney onto its wheels and then it was being moved down the corridor with me by its side, I felt someone touch my arm and turned to see Lansky.

"Babe? She the one you talked about?"  
I nodded my head but continued to walk.

"I'm sorry man"

I silently cursed as we waited for each door to be opened and once outside was ready to get in the ambulance with her when a scared look from the EMT had Bobby jump to my aid.

"He goes"

I held her cold hand as I felt the vehicle move, and did something I hadn't done for years, I prayed. Where was god if he allowed her die, she didn't deserve it, she had such a loving heart and forgiving soul, she brought light to everyone she met and lifted the spirits of people she came across. Hell even most of her skips loved her for who she was but most of all I loved her with all my heart and soul, maybe it was me that didn't deserve her but she was my salvation and I didn't know how I would be able to survive if I lost her now. I didn't realize we'd stopped until Bobby placed a hand on my shoulder, I lifted my eyes to look at him and yes I had tears there and I wasn't going to leave her side, but the look in Bobby's eyes told me I'd have to. I stayed by her side as we went through the access to the emergency rooms but was stopped at the door by Bobby.

"I'll stay with her the whole time Ranger, I promise"

As the doors closed I rested my head and hands against it willing for me to be in there with her.

"Ranger we need to wait in the waiting room, come on, Bobby will let us know what's going on"

I reluctantly went with Santos not really seeing where we were going but looked around in shock at the number of people already here, a lot of men making me wonder who the hell was running Rangeman, Mary Lou was sat next to Connie, Eddie with Big Dawg and in the corner on her own was Eula, how the hell she managed to get inside here was just short of a miracle. I went and sat next to her surprised that the smell emanating from her was actually tinted with the smell of lavender.

"One of your men was delivering my lunch when the news came through so I made him bring me and a nice lady sprayed me all over as I came in"

"Thanks for being here Eula, Steph would like that"  
"I'm here for her and you too"

At some stage I was handed the medical forms to complete, Steph had always been covered by our insurance, much to the annoyance of my accountant, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I felt the atmosphere in the room go cold, Eula tensed beside me and a silence so sharp you could feel it in the air, as I looked up I saw who everyone was looking at and the way they were looking at him. He looked about to talk when another face appeared at his side and whispered in his ear, Morelli gave the room one last look and retreated. Detective Mason strode across, drawing curious looks from everyone and sat down next to me, what the hell was he doing here and what did he want?

"Sorry to hear about Miss Plum, I've just come from the prison and an interesting talk with Lansky, didn't know he knew you, I met him at basic training and only reconnected when he came onto the SWAT team"  
"So what have you found out?"

"It was a distraction, the whole dam thing, that Sykes woman thought someone would get her out so she played along"  
"A distraction for what?"  
"To get to Lula and shut her up"  
"And Steph?"  
"I'd say she was in the wrong place at the wrong time"

Shit again, how the hell did this always happen to her?

"You know who killed Lula and attacked Steph?"  
"No, but I don't think it was another inmate, I agree with Lansky, he thinks someone who was visiting slipped through when the other visitors were forced to go into the main building, donned an orange jumpsuit, went for Lula and then slipped back out"  
"What led you to that conclusion?"  
"Jumpsuit covered in blood dumped in a boiler room"

"CCTV?"

"Nothing for inside or outside, someone on the inside threw the switches on the system, set off the alarms and opened doors and shut down the CCTV"

"How did Sykes get a message?"  
"Typed letter she said turned up in her pocket, nothing to get from that, but I'll follow any lead I can get, maybe it was the same person who threw the switches"

"So you're looking for them?"

"Yeah, the warden wants an internal investigation but between Lansky and me we'll make sure it happens quickly"  
"Did Lula tell you who the man was that she sold the gun to?"  
"Nah, she was scared shitless"

So this was all about getting rid of lose ends and Lula had been a lose end, shit, Steph was going to be hurting in more ways than one when she woke up, I looked at my watch and realized it was more than two hours since we'd brought Steph here, what the hell were the doctors doing and why hadn't Bobby let me know any information?

"Real piece of shit that one"  
Turning to Eula I raised an eyebrow.

"Not the one you was talking to, that other asshole that thought he could come in here"  
"Morelli?"  
"Yeah that's him. Why my girl put up with him beggars belief, but he's a sly one so I suppose she mayn't seen what he was really like"  
"What was he like Eula"

"I see and I watch when I'm walking about, no one takes notice of an old bag lady like me. He has conversations with some strange folk and as for the women, el cerdo, always flirting with them especially that blonde puta"

I had no idea Eula had such a turn of language but I suppose being on the streets she'd pick up a phrase or two. At that moment the doors opened and a doctor appeared looking around the room, I quickly stood and followed him out.

"Mr Manoso I understand you have medical power of attorney?"  
"Yes, how is she?"  
"Out of the woods now and resting, Brown is with her, wouldn't leave her side"

"How bad were her injuries?"

"I'll not waste time explaining it, Brown said you'd want to be with her and he'd explain everything"

I followed him through a warren of corridors only noticing that Santos was behind me when we stopped at a door to a private room, he nodded and took up a position outside obviously prepared to guard the room. Bobby was sat next to the bed but my eyes immediately went to the woman laid on the bed, my Babe. I was so concerned with how she looked that I didn't even hear Bobby talking to me, she was so pale and still, with wires and tubes running from beneath the covers. Her face had small cuts on it and a large bruise was forming on her cheek, her arms also had small dressings on them.

"Ranger?"

I turned to Bobby suddenly aware that he was talking to me.

"She was so very lucky, the knife wound to the side of her abdomen hit the appendicular artery, which was why she was bleeding so much, they took out her appendix and tied off the artery, brilliant job by the doctor, she won't have a big scar or have to suffer the full effects of invasive surgery. Her shoulder wound was a bit more complex as the knife nicked the top of her lung, but it was only a small puncture easily repaired"

"When will she wake up?"

"A few hours, they brought her round after surgery but she got very agitated so they gave her a mild sedative to calm her down"  
"The tubes?"  
"The surgeon left a chest tube in place to remove excess air and any blood or other fluids that may be present in the pleural space, a catheter and then an IV with fluids and antibiotics"

I sat at her side taking her hand in mine then rested my forehead against it.

"She'll be fine Ranger, she's a fighter, just give her time"

"Bobby can you talk to the people in the waiting area and let them know and ask Mary Lou to let Steph's sister Val know what's happened, she can decide if their parents need to come home"

"Will do, though I wouldn't think her parents need to be here as long as they know she's on the mend and has somewhere where she'll be looked after"

As Bobby left I returned my head to her hand, thanking god for answering my prayers swearing to never let anything else happen to her again, well at least trying to ensure she was always safe. I know I dozed on and off but every move she made had me alert, waiting for her to wake up, it was several hours later when her movements became more pronounced. I watched her face as her eyes moved below her lids and saw the instant that they opened seeing a fear take hold. I moved into her and placed my hands on her cheeks, kissing her lips as I softly spoke to her.

"Babe, it's okay, I'm here with you there's nothing here to be afraid of"

Recognition sparked in her eyes as she blinked quickly to look up at me.

"Where?"

Her voice was croaky so I held the straw from a closed container of water to her lips, removing it after she'd taken a few mouthfuls.

"Ranger?"  
"You're fine, a few battle scars, but you'll be better in a few days"

"Lula?"

"I'm sorry Babe she didn't make it"  
I saw the tears well up in her eyes as she absorbed that piece of news, I didn't think lying to her would help, sooner or later she would need to know and now that she knew maybe that part of hurt could start to heal.

"She pushed me under the bed and protected me, she died doing that"  
"She certainly saved your life, but whoever attacked you was intent on killing her"

I watched as her eyelids became heavy and soon she was asleep again, no doubt she would relive that memory for a long time to come but I would be there for her along with all the friends that she had and maybe in some ways Lula could rest peacefully knowing she'd saved the life of her friend and that the last action she made was a selfless one. Bobby was in and out checking the monitors so I let him know she'd been awake and settled again to my vigil of watching over her. As the hours progressed her color improved and it was late in the evening when she woke from the latest sleep. I felt her hand move feeling my hair in her fingers and looked across to see her watching me.

"You need to go and get some sleep"  
"Not leaving your side Babe. How are you feeling?"

"Sore all over, what damage do I have?"  
"Puncture through your shoulder that nicked your lung and your appendix was damaged so they had to remove it"  
"Oh, I don't need my appendix do I?"  
"No Babe, not at all"

"Was anyone else hurt?"  
"No, some of the inmates got knocked about in the mayhem but otherwise no other injuries"  
"So it was to get to Lula?"  
"Yes, she knew who it was she sold the gun to"  
"She didn't tell me the name"  
"I know, but we'll worry about that when you're better"

"Thank you for staying with me, I was so frightened"  
"Always Querida"

"So when do I get out of here?"  
I laughed as she said that, so typical of her, but like it not she was here for while yet.

"When the doctors and Bobby say so"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I heard voices outside of the door and immediately stood to place myself between the door and Steph only to come face to face with Val, I stepped to the side trying to gauge how this conversation would go but was pleasantly surprised when her sister went to the bed and kissed her on the cheek.

"How you doing sis"

"Okay, a bit sore"  
"Bobby told me what happened to you and I spoke with Mum, she was all for coming home but I told her you were in good hands and on the mend, she asked that you call her as soon as you can"  
"Thanks for that Val, I don't know if I could put up with her fussing or lectures"  
"There won't be any lectures Steph, she knows it had nothing to do with you but you happened to be there"  
"Okay, how are the girls?"  
I tuned out after that and left the room finding Hal and Jay standing outside telling myself to thank Santos because I was sure he had arranged the rota for guards outside the door. Jay looked at me and nodded to the side so I walked across the hallway with Steph's door in my sights.

"How's she doing?"

"Better, I haven't asked what happened yet, she needs to be better to do that"

"We found the jacket, watch and glasses so Hector's trying to salvage what he can from them and I found some photos that had been put out onto social media from phones of some of the visitors, though how they got them through security amazes me"

"Mason spoke to me and said the prison systems were knocked out by someone on the inside so they have nothing but think maybe it was one of the visitors who got in and attacked Lula, they're carrying out an internal investigation."  
"Well whoever it was they were vicious, the wounds on Lula were frenzied, not a skilled person"  
"So Steph would have had trouble protecting herself?"  
"Yes, I also think they had two knives, one in each hand which makes it even more difficult to react to"

"How do you come to that conclusion?"  
"The angle of the wounds in Lula's back and the fact that Steph has defensive cuts on both arms, though I'd say the person is normally left handed judging from the force and position of Steph's main injuries"

"I'm here for the duration so would you get a message to Ella"  
"No need, she's already organizing food and clothes, oh and she seems to have taken on a helper"  
"A helper?"  
"Yeah, strange woman, but Ella knew who she was, thing is the woman wouldn't leave the hospital said she'd seen too much"  
"Eula?"

"Maybe, she's staying with Ella in her apartment"

"Okay tell who ever asks they can probably visit tomorrow afternoon"

"Good"

I watched as Val left the room surprised when she stopped me from going back in.

"Don't you dare go back in there and then leave her when she's better, you're either in or out and you decide now"

That came as a surprise I didn't realize that Val was aware of the strange relationship Steph and I used to have or that my in and out of Steph's life had people noticing.

"I'm in Val, I won't leave her again unless she asks me to"  
"Good, because she won't"

I watched as she strutted down the corridor unaware of what conversation had taken place between the two sisters, but curious to know how I warranted that conversation from Val. I quietly opened the door and seeing that Steph was asleep again went to sit next to her but didn't get to sit down.

"I'm not asleep"  
"Just resting your eyes?"  
"I needed a way to get rid of Val"  
"Oh?"

"Yeah she's suddenly taken on the maternal role seeing as Mum isn't here"  
"What was she trying to get you to do"  
"Go back to Morelli, but don't worry I set her straight, I told her I'm with you now"  
"Too right you are, go to sleep Babe, you're exhausted"  
I gently kissed her eyelids and then her lips pleased at the smile that came to them and took my seat in the chair. The thought of Morelli annoyed me and I needed to think through my reasons behind that, how was it that he turned up at the police station when Steph was arrested and he was there at the prison when she arrived? What was he doing at the prison anyway, maybe a question I needed someone else to find out for me. During the night Bobby arranged for the chair to be replaced with a sleep chair that was more comfortable as he checked over the monitors I asked the usual question.  
"How's she doing?"

And got the usual answer.

"She's doing well"

When morning came so did the stream of doctors and nurses so even if Steph had wanted to sleep they wouldn't let her. The tubes and wires were removed which was a good thing, being able to walk around not so good, I helped her from the bed because it hurt her to use the muscles in her stomach and she nearly had a fit when she looked down at her stomach.

"Will it scar badly"

"No, give it time Babe, it's only been 24 hours"

"Sorry I'm grouchy"

"Babe you have reason to be grouchy"

And she did, they'd insisted on a sling to immobilize her shoulder and I knew her stomach was painful making it difficult to move.

"In a few days you'll feel much better"

"Ranger you need to rest as well, go get some proper sleep, there are guys outside and this afternoon people will be here to visit"  
"No, I'm here with you until we leave"  
The afternoon brought about a new concern for me, so many people came to visit and some were only there for what they could find out from Steph, in the end I had to turn people away, I mean why would Steph want to talk to her parents neighbors or a woman she went to school with years ago? By 1800 Steph looked ready to drop so I told the men outside the room no more people were to come in. Of course no one could stop Ella and Steph was pleased to see her, it was the woman with her that had me concerned, Steph was looking at her trying to figure out who she was when she suddenly smiled.

"I can't believe it's you"

"I clean up good, but how did you know?"  
"Your eyes, they're grey but have a fleck of something like violet in them"  
I watched as the woman approached Steph and leaned forward to kiss her cheeks.

"How's my girl doing?"  
"Better thanks Eula"  
"Good, he looking after you?"

In answer to that Steph held out her hand to me and pulled me to sit next to her on the bed.

"Eula what's going on, why are you all different and with Ella?"

"I came to see hows you were doing and that el cerdo was waiting outside, no way was I going out on my own so when Ella asks if I want somewhere to stay for a while, I thought why not, I can help out with what she does"

El cerdo was the name she gave Morelli, maybe I needed to get some eyes on him and maybe ask those I knew what they thought. Ella had brought fresh clothes for me so while she talked with Steph I showered and changed and handed the worn clothes back. She'd brought chicken broth and bread for Steph and a salad for me so we sat quietly eating our food, once finished I helped her to the bathroom and to wash and change, somehow it seemed so natural to do and at no time did she seem embarrassed, annoyed with herself maybe. Once done I lay on the bed with her, her back against my front, it seemed to be a comfortable position for her to be in and I never realized how much I missed holding her next to me.

"Ranger who was Eula talking about, el cerdo?"

"I think it's Morelli, Eula doesn't like him"

"Has he been here?"  
"He turned up when you were in theatre but disappeared"  
"He was at the prison when I got there, I wonder why he was there?"

"And he turned up at the police station when you were arrested"  
"Do you think I've somehow crossed with one of his cases?"  
"I don't know, but the only officers we speak to are Mason and Lansky"

"Okay, no doubt they'll want to talk with me anyway"

I didn't want to push her into telling me what had happened she would tell me when she was ready, though I had to admit it was killing me not knowing. As the light faded I felt her relax and knew she was sleeping and to be honest I was tired now as well, so with her in my arms I followed her into sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Two days later it was agreed to let her leave and be under the watchful eye of Bobby at Rangeman, I think every one knew she didn't make a good patient here at the hospital and being somewhere familiar would help her relax. By noon I'd helped her dress into joggers and a long thick sweater that went down to her knees, Ella certainly knew what would make her comfortable and she was sat in the wheelchair ready for us to leave. I'd arranged with the hospital to leave through a rear staff exit to avoid any one seeing her so once we were down on the ground floor I pushed her to the exit, I had two men ahead of us and two behind with two in the waiting SUV, no way was I taking any chances. The drive to Rangeman was quick and uneventful and I soon had her safely tucked up in the bed on seven.

"Babe what do you need"  
"Just an Ipad maybe so I can watch some reruns"  
"Hector set one up for you, it's in the drawer next to you. Do you need any pain meds?"  
"No, they make me sleepy and I've slept too long already"

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and noted it was reception calling me.

"Yo"  
"Err, Ranger I have a gentleman here to visit Steph"  
"Who?"  
"A Mr Ramos"

"Hold on a minute"

I turned to Steph as she looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Babe it's Alexander Ramos, he's here to see you"  
"Here, now?"  
"Yes"

"I don't know, I mean this is your private apartment"  
"Babe that doesn't matter to me"  
"Okay then as long as you stay"  
I returned my attention to my phone.

"Ask Santos to bring him up"

"Babe I'll go meet them at the door, you okay?"  
"Yes, I'm fine"  
I waited with the door open and stood to the side as Ramos came into the apartment with Santos behind him. He was alone which surprised me; I'd never known him go anywhere without at least two body guards.

"Ranger thank you for allowing me to visit with Stéfani, I had my men drop me off and park elsewhere, I don't want to be seen here but felt I needed to see her"  
"You are always welcome here Alex, though I was surprised when you came alone. Would you like a drink?"

"No thank you"  
I showed him into the bedroom where Steph was propped up on a mountain of pillows, still with her sweater on.

"Stéfani you look well, how are you feeling?"  
"Much better thank you"  
"Here some beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman"  
He passed an enormous bouquet of flowers over to her laying them across her knee, but for some reason I wasn't happy about the gesture, was I suspicious of him or was it that I hadn't even thought to present her with flowers, I mean she'd brought loads home from the hospital.

"Why don't I get these in a vase for you Babe?"

"Please"

I met Santos in the lounge and passed him the flowers ignoring the look he gave me.

"Check them out and bring them back in a vase"

I returned to the bedroom to find Ramos sat in a chair he'd pulled up next to the bed; he turned as I came in and sat on the bed next to Steph.

"I was saying to Stéfani how shocked I was to hear of the incident at the prison and that she had been so badly hurt, do you think it has something to do with what we talked about?"  
"They were after another woman and Steph was visiting a friend there"  
"I heard your friend was murdered?"

Steph nodded her head but didn't say anything.

"So maybe it is connected. Have you found anything yet Ranger?"

"Nothing concrete, when we think we're close they've gone, we're always one step behind them, but we have more information so now Steph is home we can go back to where we were"  
"Good, good. I also hear that Morelli is perhaps seeming to be where you are?"  
I looked at Steph and nodded my head; there was no point in evading him when he obviously had all the facts.

"Yes, he was outside the prison when I arrived"

"Did he talk with you?"  
"Yes, he said he was worried about me then got upset because I was with a friend and tried to sweet talk his way with excuses about Terry, then he tried to talk me into getting back with him. When I told him that wasn't happening he said not a place I would want to be visiting"

"I worry about his affiliation with Grizoli's niece, I could never understand Grizoli allowing it, but as long as he stays away from you then se la vie"

I listened as Steph talked through her injuries but never once did she talk about what had happened, maybe I needed to be worried about that because I knew her tendency to file things away in her denial land, never to be talked or thought about again. After 40 minutes Ramos stood and bent down kissing her on both cheeks.

"Time for me to go, thank you Ranger for allowing me into your home, and you Stéfani for agreeing to see me, I will no doubt speak with you soon"

Once he'd left with Santos I returned to the bedroom and saw the tears falling down her cheeks, what had upset her surely nothing that Ramos had said or was it the idea of Morelli?

"Babe, you need to talk with me, tell me what's wrong"  
"Will you just hold me first?"  
I laid down next to her and gently allowed her to move against me, I was so worried about hurting her but placed an arm beneath her head and rested my other hand on her waist.  
"I want to forget what happened, but I know I can't, I owe it to Lula to find out who killed her"  
"Tell me what happened when the alarm went off"

"Everyone started to panic and were moving in different directions, I got swept along and ended up in a corridor behind the visitors room. It was chaos, prisoners running around shouting and screaming, I lost the glasses when someone banged into me and then when a group saw me in ordinary clothes they went to chase us. Lula dragged me into a laundry room and locked the door. There was a lot of banging and shouting but eventually it went quiet and then Lula reckoned if I wore what she was wearing no one would recognize me and being in the laundry room there were lots of those orange jumpsuits. So I put it on over my jeans and sweater and carried the coat, I'm so sorry I should have kept the coat on"  
"Babe don't fret about that, it wouldn't have stopped what happened, we couldn't get in and there were other things going on"  
"Well when we came out there were guards every where and one of the guards took the coat and my watch off me saying I'd stolen them, she tried to use a baton on me to get me to move but Lula stopped her, sweet talked her, so then we ended up where the cells were. Lula reckoned we'd be safe inside her cell and then we'd get a guard to take me out. I don't where she came from but the next thing I knew there was this woman pushing me into the cell, the lights went out and it was pitch black, Lula started to scream at her but I couldn't see her. She must have had a knife in each hand the way she kept attacking us and said she was there for Lula. I tried to help Lula, we both tried to get out and then to defend ourselves. She got Lula in the back and then when I tried to help Lula she turned on me. Some of Jay's tricks worked but I ended up with cuts all over and then she caught me by surprise and stabbed me in the shoulder. I couldn't breathe at first and that's when she got me in the stomach. Lula went nuts, but she couldn't win against her, in the end Lula pushed me under the bed and rammed herself in there with me. Oh god Ranger I could feel it when she started to stab Lula in the back and Lula just looked at me, holding me and said I was the bestest friend she'd ever had and seeing as I had saved her life it was her turn to save mine"  
I cradled her against me as the sobs became louder and then panicked when she started to struggle to breathe, shit what with the damage to her lung and the injury to her stomach her body couldn't cope with the additional strain. I hit my phone and called Bobby.

"Emergency, she got upset and can't breathe"  
"Babe, you have to calm down"

I cradled her in my arms, slowly rocking her, I just didn't know what else to do. Bobby came rushing straight in and immediately took out a syringe, then finding the right spot plunged a clear fluid into her. A moment later I felt her relax and the sobbing quieted leaving me holding her limp body next to mine. I gently laid her back against the pillows and got up from the bed, my breathing was fast and my heart rate was way too high.

"What the hell happened?"  
"She was telling me what happened"  
"You mean when she was attacked?"  
"Yes and how Lula died"  
"Shit no wonder she was struggling to breathe"  
"Hell Bobby she held her while she died"

"I gave her a sedative so she should sleep for a couple of hours. You need to keep her calm, at least for another couple of days"  
"What else do I need to do?"  
"Get her to walk around a bit, get her up and active, but let her sleep when she's tired"

"Okay"  
"Ella's gonna come up when we have the meeting, you need a break as well Ranger"

I hadn't even thought about the meeting, shit I needed to get my head in gear because the sooner we finished with this the sooner both Steph and I could relax. I nodded to Bobby and turned to look at Steph as she slept, then turned and went into the lounge leaving the bedroom door open.

"It was probably my fault, I didn't want to see her bottling it up but I just never thought about the effect on her injuries"  
"I know her Ranger, maybe now she's opened up it'll be easier for her. I'll see you at the meeting but if you need me before just call"

By the time I'd showered, shaved and dressed Ella was sat in the bedroom with Steph.

"She'll be fine with me Ranger, she's young and resilient, she'll build herself up from this"  
Not a lot I could say to that, she was right, so with a nod I reluctantly left the apartment to go down to five. The men were already arriving at the conference room and so it wasn't long before we could get started, I probably had a lot to catch up on.

"Tank"

"We went to level 2 when the alarms went off but so far nothing to indicate anyone with surveillance on us"  
"Okay drop back to level 1"  
"Ram, the factory"

"The place has the options of several uses, they have clean rooms and offices with adequate storage, absolutely nothing left there and the agent wasn't too pleased because they just up and left without warning. They paid up front in cash, which the agent said is unusual but money is money. I'd say they had no intention of staying beyond what they paid for. I spoke to a neighboring unit but they didn't really see much a few cars but no deliveries, unless it happened at night. Any CCTV in the area rolls over every month so there's nothing there"

"Okay you all know what went down at the prison but maybe not the detail"  
"Hector"

"All went smoothly until alarm sounded then absolute panic, some of the prisoners pushed some of the visitors into the prison area but when I tried to follow I was blocked and the door was shut"  
"Jay"  
"Cameras worked fine so we have Steph being hustled through the door, after that the signal from the glasses stopped so we went to the one in her jacket. Her and Lula appeared to be a room on their own with lots of noise outside then the image became random ending with no signal at all"  
"What about the prison system?"  
"I was almost in when the system went down making it impossible for me to get access"  
"Steph and Lula didn't recognize their attacker but to be honest Steph is too emotional to really describe what happened"  
"She had a major panic attack and with her injuries I ended up sedating her"

"Hector I think the woman came in as a visitor, the alarm and panic allowed her inside and the distraction with Sykes gave her time and then all she had to do was walk out of there"  
"So she was in room with us?"  
"Possibly"  
"Steph was at the front so wouldn't see anyone behind her"  
"I don't know, mostly women visiting, no one who stood out"

"I can't rush Steph to get a description just yet"  
"The other thing that I'm not happy with is that Morelli always seems to be around, can we find out why he was at the prison? Santos maybe you can talk to Lansky on that one"

"You want eyes on him Ranger?"  
"Yes but we need to be discreet, Ramos mentioned him, maybe as a bait for us, so we need someone he doesn't know"  
"I'll put the transfer guys on it"  
"Thanks Tank"  
"Jay I know you've been busy but any more on the book"  
"Well I read a copy of the book to see if it had a theme, a lot of futuristic versions of what ifs, no real theme running through it. I'm in the process of scanning each page for micro chips and invisible ink"

"Tank, Lula mentioned that the man she sold the gun to was a skip Steph had taken in, can we get hold of the names of all her skips with the charges they were up for"

"I'll go talk to Connie in the morning"

"Any sightings of that BMW?"  
"One of the men on patrol spotted it in a used car show room, the owner said it was parked on his lot one morning with all the paperwork and a message that said it belonged to a wife who left him so wanted rid of it"  
"Names on the paperwork?"  
"Bogus, we checked"

"Anything else I need to know about?"  
"Eula's fitted in real well, she's a hell of a character and maybe she's seen things but doesn't know that they could be important"  
"I know, but as you say she watches people so maybe if we have some faces she might recognize them"

I spent the next hour signing off on expenditures and orders and was pleased to be interrupted by Ella.

"She's awake, I helped her shower and I've just set out a meal for you"  
"I'm on my way, how is she Ella?"  
"Very quiet for her"  
As I went into the apartment Ella left with a smile on her face and I could tell she'd been up to something, I wasn't wrong, the table had been set out for our meal and Steph was sat at the table waiting. I went behind her and kissed her head.

"How are you feeling?"  
"I'm sorry I broke down"  
"Babe you have every reason for doing that, I shouldn't have pushed you to tell me what happened"  
"Maybe, but I feel I can think about it now and while it still hurts I think I'll be able to cope better"

"I'm sorry Babe but the police may want a statement from you, but not until you're feeling better"

"I know"  
"So what has Ella prepared for us?"  
"You have got grilled salmon with roasted vegetables and brown rice"  
"And you?"  
"I'm having the same but not as much"

The meal was good and I was pleased that Steph managed to eat something, I could see that she was uncomfortable no doubt from the after effects of the surgery and though she still walked slowly she was moving around but found it uncomfortable to sit back and still needed help to stand up. As I cleared away the dishes Bobby arrived to check her out so I watched from the doorway of the bedroom as he looked over the incision on her stomach and then on her shoulder.

"Healing nicely Bomber, but keep them covered until the I take the stitches out, it should get better day by day, how's the pain?"  
"Okay unless I try to sit up"

"What about the shoulder?"

"Having the sling on makes it less painful seeing as I can't move it, how long do I have to wear the sling?"  
"A few days, you were really lucky the knife only nicked the lung so I assume no problems with breathing?"  
"No"

"Okay if you need it take Advil for any pain, otherwise everything looks good"

"Thanks Bobby"

I nodded as he left the bedroom and made his way out of the apartment waiting to see what Steph wanted to do, she almost rolled to get off the bed using the side table for support and looked at me.

"What? It's easier on the muscles in my stomach"

"What do you want to do?"  
"I'm gonna head for bed then in the morning I have some catching up to do"  
"What catching up?"  
"Some phone calls"  
As Steph used the bathroom and settled into bed I showered and changed then was laid against the headboard next to her, I had my laptop so could put some work behind me, it wasn't long before she was asleep so I worked until late before I too settled down to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Morning soon came and today I needed to go down to the gym, it felt like an age since I'd done any exercise, I'd left Steph asleep and as I didn't want to disturb her showered and changed in my office. The fifth floor was quiet and I knew that Tank was visiting at a client's house to finalize their security system so made sure the men knew I was there if needed. I checked Steph's bank account and seeing that she wouldn't have enough to cover her rent and utility bills transferred some money into the account, until Steph made a decision on what she wanted to do I'd continue to cover the costs after all I could always say it was wages from Rangeman. I'd left a note for Steph asking her to call me when she woke up but by 1000hrs I was beginning to get worried. I heard voices in the corridor and though I tried to listen in on what was going on I couldn't make out what was being said, as I rose to find out I was surprised to see Steph coming in through my door.

"Babe, everything okay?"  
"Yeah, I needed the exercise and a change of scenery"  
"You just got up?"  
"No, I told you I had some calls to make"  
"They go well?"  
"Very well"  
I looked again at her face and realized she was grinning, she was up to something but I had no idea what.

"Babe?"  
"If I could jump up and down I would"  
"What's happened?"  
"I think I know who our mysterious man really is"  
"Say again"

"I know who Michael Colstaro aka Neil Huntington really is"  
"How?"

"What did you always say to me?"  
"I don't know, what?"  
"Follow the money"

"What money?"

"The money he used to buy the car"  
"Babe, sit down and go through with me what you found out"  
She slowly sat down on the edge of the chair using the arm rests to support her and then thankfully began her account of what she'd been up to.

"Well, do you remember how I found out who owned the car? I thought even though he'd used a false name that I could maybe find out where the money came from. So I'd called Denise at the BMW dealership before the incident at the prison asking her for information on the account he'd used. She wasn't really sure about doing that but when she heard how I got hurt at the prison she changed her mind. Anyway I called her this morning and she gladly gave me the name of the bank and account number so I called Doreen who happens to work at the bank and seeing as it's the same bank I use and had a good chat with her. She thought it was strange that he'd used a false name, she knows Denise as well, so she had a look at the account for me. Seems it was only opened a month ago but there have been a lot of cash deposits and cash withdrawals, but she found out where the initial money came from to open the account. It was a man named Carrigan Harvey and he does exist. When I ran a search he was some lowly technician at the university where his brother James went to"

I just looked at her running what she'd said through my head, was it possible she'd really found this man?

"What about Casper Huntington?"

"Maybe he was related to Neil Huntington, you know a nephew or something"

"So this Carrigan Harvey took on the identity of Neil Huntington?"

"Only for some things, like this bank account"  
"What else does did the search pull up?"

"Not a lot recently, but there's a photo of him, and guess who he is"

"Go on"  
"The man I saw at the train station, the one who was there to open the locker when I went to get Eula's bags out and then at the bank when I went in to deposit that cheque"

So that was how Steph came into his radar, he'd seen her more than once and when she turned up at other places it was too much of a coincidence for him. But where did Casper Huntington fit into this, was he blackmailing Carrigan Harvey or was he working for him or was Huntington even his name?  
"Babe you know there was nothing on Casper Huntington, have you tried a search on Casper Harvey?"

"You thinking they both took on a different identity?"  
"Maybe, I just can't see someone related to Neil Huntington working for Carrigan"  
"Okay, I'll do that now"  
"Babe are you sure?"  
"Yes, I need to do something, okay I may lay down while I work at my laptop"

I shook my head at that; at least if she was already laid down she might rest and maybe fall asleep while she was working. I went round the desk and helped her to her feet and then amidst complaints accompanied her up to seven. Once she was propped up in the bed with her laptop I made sure she had a bottle of water and some Advil and left her to it, promising to return in time for dinner. Had she eaten lunch? I wasn't sure so on the way down asked Ella to have something for us at 1800hrs. I sanctioned payments for overtime and read through some contracts that needed signing so by 1700hrs I felt I'd done my fair share of work so had no qualms closing down my computer and finishing for the day. As I expected I found Steph fast asleep, an array of paperwork around her, how had she printed all this stuff off? I collected the papers and then quickly scanned through them until I found the one she'd done on Casper Harvey. He looked the same as the photo I'd seen in the file from Connie, maybe he was Carrigan's son.

I placed the pile of paperwork onto the bedside table and slowly started to kiss every patch of skin on my Babe's face. Any scratches were now healing and the bruise was turning that yellow color. She stirred beneath me and slowly opened her eyes.

"Is it morning?"  
"No Babe, you fell asleep working, it's time for something to eat"

"Where's my paperwork?"  
"All together on the side, how did you get it printed?"

"I asked Hector"

"Have you slept for long?"  
"A bit once I'd found him, you were right, I found a wife as well"

"Anything I should know?"  
"The wife, Rita, got caught up in an accident here in New Jersey; I'm not sure how it happened or where it was, but the wife was there, maybe she knew someone who worked there, anyway there was an explosion and she got caught in it"

"Where's the wife?"  
"She didn't do well, spent months and months in hospital, some skin grafts but she's a recluse and in a residential facility now"

I could see how that saddened her but did that tie in with what the man Carrigan was up to? Maybe it could be a reason for a vendetta, but why would that involve trying to upset the balance of power with the families here in Trenton?

"Let's eat then if you feel up to it you can come down to the meeting"

"Okay, did Ella bring something up?"  
"Yes, do you feel hungry?"  
"A bit"

As Steph changed and freshened up I found the dish in the fridge and placed it in the microwave.

"What we having?"

"Spicy skillet shrimp with tomatoes and white beans"

"Sounds good"

We sat at the kitchen bar to eat, I think Steph found it easier to perch on the edge of the stool and she ate more than she did last night. Once finished I cleared the table and we made our way down to five for the meeting. Everyone was already there and certainly made Steph welcome.

"Beautiful how you doing?"  
"No hugs Lester, I'm still really sore"  
"I'll save them up for when you're better"  
"Little Girl, you up to this?"  
"Yes Tank, I may have a lead anyway"

"Seriously?"  
"Maybe"

I called the meeting to order and had Steph sat on my knee, not just because I liked the feel of her there but because I knew it was more comfortable for her.

"Tank is surveillance in place?"  
"Yes, the guys who transferred are onto that but so far all seems quiet"  
"Who?"  
I wasn't quite sure how she would take this so went with the excuse that Ramos had made the hint.

"Do you remember Ramos asking about Morelli always being around?"  
"Yes"  
"Well I asked Tank to put some surveillance on him, see what he's up to"  
"I can ask Eddie what cases he's on"  
"If Eddie knew would he tell you?"  
"I think so"

"Okay then. Jay anywhere with the book?"  
"I've scanned through with infra red, ultra violet you name it I've used it, no sign of any microdots so I'm at a loss"

"Do you have an exact copy of the book?"  
"How do you mean Steph?"

"Well maybe he used the words from the book, you know page seven word twenty three?"  
"But we'd need something to tell us what the code was"  
"Right, let me have a copy of the pages you've scanned and I'll have a think"

"Babe we think the woman who attacked you came in as a visitor, do you think you may have seen her?"  
"No I don't think I saw her"

"Babe tell them the names you found"

That had the men sitting up straighter in their chairs.

"Well I think the names Michael Colstaro and Neil Huntington are false identities and that we're dealing with a man called Carrigan Harvey, brother to James Harvey. It was him I saw at the train station when I took Eula back. Casper Huntington is actually Casper Harvey, possibly his son, though I can't find any record of his birth. His wife was badly burned in an accident"

Bobby looked at Steph with a frown on his face.

"I don't know of an accident that bad that injured civilians"  
"Bobby it was years ago and it was kept quiet because she shouldn't have been there but her medical records refer to it"

"Estefania are there photos of her?"  
"Not that I could find, she doesn't have a drivers license and I think she's badly disfigured"

"So how do we find them?"

That wasn't the only question that was going through my mind.

"Tank I know it seems logical to find them but I have a few concerns"  
"Like what Ranger?"  
"Why are the families involved and what does he intend to do that has them so concerned and at the moment we don't have any evidence to link that man to anything"

"What do you suggest then?"

"Weave a web, pull everything together first, Tank talk with Steph about her FTAs, Lula mentioned that didn't she Babe?"  
"Yeah, she said that looks can be deceiving and that he could change his looks"

"We find something from that dam book"  
"I'm on it"  
"Hector see what else you can find out from the streets"  
"Si Jefe"  
"Ram, you still have contacts with the families in New York?"  
"I'll make some calls"

"Santos can you follow up the searches Steph did and look for any patterns"

"On it"

"I think maybe I'll talk with Connie, she usually has a feel for what's going on"

The men took that as the end of the meeting and slowly got up to leave, I stayed sat with Steph still on my knee.

"What you thinking Ranger?"  
"That I love you, very much"  
"I love you too, but that's not what has the frown on your face"

She gently pressed her fingers to my forehead and started to massage the skin and then moved up into my scalp, it felt wonderful, relaxing even and I knew I had a smile on my face.

"That's better"  
I didn't want to worry her but this case was starting to get to me I just couldn't figure out why Carrigan had targeted Trenton or what hold he thought he might have on the families. We left the conference room, each deep in thought and once back in the apartment spent the time on the couch wrapped around each other.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The following morning I left Steph with Tank to look through her FTAs and took one of the SUVs to go down to the Bonds Office, Cal was with me and would keep watch outside. Once inside I realized how quiet it was, I was used to finding Steph here chatting with the girls. I looked over to the couch half expecting to see Lula sprawled across it eating some take out fast food.

"Not the same is it Ranger?'

"No, it seems empty without them here"  
"How's Steph doing, I spoke with her yesterday but she only said she was doing fine?"  
"She is, she's slowly mending"  
"The funeral for Lula is the day after tomorrow, will you go?"  
"Maybe, who's paying for that?"  
"There was enough from petty cash and wages that Vinnie owed her"  
"How are you doing bringing the skips in?"  
"Vinnie's put a halt on everything, any remaining skips he's transferred to other agents"  
"Where is he?"  
"Well that's where it gets strange, Harry had him and Lucille go on a long cruise"

"To get them out of town?"  
"Seems that way"  
"What about the other families?"

"Grizoli sent Terry away though she insisted that Morelli went with her"  
"Morelli's back, is Terry?"  
"No idea. After the funeral I've been told to go visit my aunt down in Baltimore"  
"So the families are running scared?"  
"I'd say so, there seems to be an exodus of wives and children"  
"You think someone's threatening them?"  
"Feels like that to me"

"If you hear anymore will you let me know?"  
"You think this is tied into what happened to Lula and Steph?"

"Maybe"

"I'm closing down the office today, sorry but Steph will be out of a job and there won't be any skips for Rangeman"  
Neither of those two things had me worried, in fact that would make it easier to keep Steph safe the problem would be how Steph would react to it, she still had the apartment and bills she would need to pay, I would rather she just let the apartment go and move in with me but knowing Steph she'd feel threatened without having a place that was hers, somewhere she could fall back onto. That was something to maybe discuss in the future, for now I'd make sure she was paid through Rangeman and maybe see what a lawyer said about how she was injured at the prison. When I returned to the car I sat thinking about what to do next, I really wanted to find out what threats had been made against the families and really the only person who might open up was Jemerez, Granaldy was too close to Grizoli, but Jemerez could be a loose cannon, not always someone who liked to be told what he could and couldn't do.

"Where to Ranger?"

"I think I need to have a word with Jemerez"

"We'll need backup for that, you gonna warn him of a visit or just turn up?"

Jemerez and I had an understanding of sorts, I kept away from his operations as long as he didn't bring it to my attention by being arrogant and flaunting what he did. I knew exactly what he did and there were times when I'd let the FBI know if an unusually big consignment was due in, otherwise he kept the drug pushing controlled and kept his girls safe, I was never going to stop any of that completely so with Jemerez it was as the saying went, better the devil you know.

"I'd normally just turn up so I'll keep to that"  
"You know where he'll be?"  
"No, but Hector will"

I messaged Hector while we sat pleased that a response came back immediately and then called through to Tank.

"I'm going to pay a call on Jemerez"  
"I'll send a backup team"  
"Steph there with you?"  
"Yeah, god she has hundreds of captures"  
"Start with the recent ones and ignore the regulars, that should make it easier"  
"Well we've ignored the ones still inside as well as some of the old ones"  
"She'll work it out"  
I noticed a car pull up behind me, pleased to see Santos and two others with him, good for a visit to Jemerez we needed to give a show of force and that we meant business.

"He's at the warehouse down by the river"  
Cal drove fast and precise to get us there with Santos keeping up and made sure that our arrival was loud enough to be noticed. I got out of the car making sure my guns were showing, pleased to see Santos, Vince and Miguel ratcheting theirs. As expected one of the soldiers from Jemerez's gang came out to meet us. All pose as he walked up to me.

"Weren't expecting you Ranger"

"I have business with Jemerez"  
"Maybe he's busy"  
"I don't think so, either he comes out or we go in"  
"I'll tell him"

I eyed the building noticing men appear at the windows, probably armed, but the one thing about Jemerez was he kept a tight rein on his men, they may be from a mismatch of backgrounds but in general they were loyal to him. A door opened and there stood the man himself, tall and lanky with black dreadlocks tied up on the top of his head. He was mixed race and had grey eyes that added to his looks of being someone you didn't cross. He actually came across to the car, which was unusual for him and when he spoke it was quietly, something was definitely wrong.

"Ranger my man, wasn't expecting you"  
"We need a conversation"

"How's that fine woman of yours, I heard she got hurt at the prison?"  
"She's recovering, but that's not what I want to talk to you about"

"Maybe we need to ride in this beautiful car of yours"

I took the keys from Cal and got into the driers seat watching as Jemerez got in beside me and then starting the car drove away from the warehouse.

"This car clean?"  
"Yes, where do you want me to drive?

"Down river"

I drove as he suggested keeping to the narrow roads that followed the river watching my mirrors and Jemerez, he was jittery, constantly looking behind us.

"There's no one following"  
"Yeah well can't be too careful"  
"What's going on?"  
"Who says there is?"  
I stopped the car in a pull in and switching the engine off turned and looked at him.

"Okay, okay, we got trouble"  
"What kind of trouble?"

"Since Jimmy died there's a new dude trying to push his way in"  
"What's he after?"  
"He wants to control what I do"  
"He trying to take over your merchandise?"  
"No, I don't think so"  
"So why cooperate with him?"

"He's threatened to kill any one close to me, he knows who they are as well, how the hell he found out I have no idea"

"You mean family"  
"Yeah, parents, brothers and sisters and even aunts uncles and cousins, then he started doing the same to my lieutenants"

"Any idea what he's doing?"  
"I think he's done the same to the other bosses, he wants to take over from Jimmy but take a cut"

"So how big does this go?"  
"He said once he has his operation finished we'd let him control what we do and take his cut, that this operation he's doing is so big we'll understand"

"Do you know who he is?"  
"Nah, but he seems to know what we do and say"

"Any idea where he's based his operations?"

"Tried to find out that, but he keeps moving around, but word from the gofers is that he may be over by Bordertown, he wanted access to my boats so maybe he uses that creek that splits off from the river"  
"You been down there?"  
"No, and I aint gonna go either"

I knew that the bosses were into anything and everything, they managed to keep their operations from bringing too much attention from the authorities but everyone was just waiting for that one piece of evidence to bring them down. So the end game was to control the bosses and reap in the profits without actually doing anything, so now we needed to work out what his operation was and more of a conundrum was what his motives were.

"Ranger you can't get involved in this"  
"Already am"  
"But you aint got anything he wants"  
"No, but he keeps hurting my woman and I won't have that"  
"How's she involved?"  
"She was in the wrong place at the wrong time"

"So it was the ho they was after?"  
I didn't answer because he didn't need to hear it from me.

"I need to get back, been gone too long"  
"If anything happens get a message to me"  
I drove him back to his warehouse and then with Cal back beside me we headed back to Rangeman I had some thinking to do and maybe some research on people Steph really didn't need to know about. As I stepped onto the elevator a message came through from Tank "Police here to see Steph" I knew they would be visiting her but at least I was here now and messaged Tank that I was in the building. As I stepped onto five Tank was stood in the middle of the corridor.

"You seen Steph Ranger?"  
"No, I just got here"  
"Shit I tried her phone but got no answer"  
"Try Ella while I check on seven, she may have gone for a rest"

When there was no sign of her on seven I had to admit I began to panic, she wouldn't sneak out of the building would she? I raced down the stairs and into my office ready to contact whichever man was monitoring the external cameras and then stopped with the phone in my hands when I suddenly realized she was laid down on my couch, fast asleep. I let out a sigh and walked toward her, I really needed to trust her more, trust that she wouldn't do anything stupid, trust that she'd talk to me first. With kisses on her face I saw her eyes come open and then a smile lighting up her face.

"Hey, you're back, you've been gone ages"  
"Just people to see, Babe the police are here to see you"

"I suppose it had to happen soon"

"Are you okay to speak with them, I could tell them you're still not well enough"

"No, the sooner I get this over the better"  
I messaged reception to escort the police to conference room 1 and then we made our way down there with Tank joining us as we came out of the lift.

"Where was she?"  
"Asleep in my office"

Tank stayed outside the door as I led Steph inside the room, I was surprised to see Lansky there but expected Mason. We sat down opposite them at the small table and waited.

"Miss Plum, I know we've met before but if I start by saying how sorry I am for this whole mess and how it's affected you"  
"You were just doing your job"  
"Miss Plum we need to ask you about that afternoon at the prison, can we do this just with you?"  
I saw the panic cross her face and tightened my grip on her hand, she didn't have to do this alone.

"No Ranger stays"

"As you wish. This is Lieutenant Lansky, he usually works out of a precinct north of New York but he was there that afternoon so has an interest. I'm gonna record what you say and then we can both ask questions"

Steph went through that afternoon as if she were reciting something she'd learned, at no time did she mention the surveillance equipment she was wearing or mention that Hector was there. As she came to what happened in that cell her eyes fell to her hands and her voice became so quiet, she was still affected by what had happened and would be for a long time.

"So you didn't get a good look at who attacked you?"  
"No, maybe taller than me and I think longish hair"  
"Mason it wouldn't matter, the hair we found on the suit came back as a black synthetic wig and there was a lot of makeup round the collar"

"So you have no idea who she was?"  
"I'm sorry Miss Plum, no we don't"

How could there not be any other evidence?  
"Lansky no prints or blood that could be used?"  
"No, we think she wore gloves, and there was so much blood I can't see us being able to separate it out, you said you defended yourself, do you think you may have hurt her?"  
"I don't think so"

I stood pulling Steph to her feet; she seemed too quiet, almost preoccupied, and had a look about her that made me want to get her away from this situation.

"Babe why don't you go up to seven while I show the police out?"  
She nodded and walked to get onto the lift with Tank beside her, while I turned and escorted the two men back to reception. Mason was quick to leave, which suited me fine because I wanted to talk to Lansky on his own.

"What do you know about him?"  
"Mason?"  
"Yeah"  
"Not much, met him years ago on basic training and only came across him at the prison, why you know something I don't"  
"Not really, it's just the timing for him arresting Steph and the fact that a detective called Morelli was there"  
"You want me to do some digging on them both?"  
"If you could I'd appreciate that"  
"I'll do it if you tell me what that woman of yours had running through her head at the end of that interview"  
I smiled at his comment, he always had been good at reading people but then Steph's facial expressions always gave her away.

"I'll talk with her"  
"Okay, I'll get back to you when I have something"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

When I eventually made my way into the apartment I found Steph reading a file and knew from the scowl on her face that she'd either identified Lula's killer or the man responsible for buying the gun.

"What you got Babe?"  
She looked up her eyes wide then pulled the file up to her face.  
"How do you know I have anything?"  
"I can see it in your face and so did Lansky"  
"Shit was I that obvious?"  
"Afraid so"  
"You need to teach me how to produce a blank face"  
"Never, I love your face just the way it is"  
"Okay I know who both the buyer and attacker were"  
"Both?"  
"Mmm, you can't figure it out can you?"  
As I looked at her eyes I could tell she was in a playful mood, good that meant she was feeling better, so I knelt down next to her and began to kiss my way from her lips, across her cheek and into that sensitive spot at the base of her neck.

"Stop it, that's not fair"  
"Tell me who they are then"

As she started to giggle I had to stop, god I loved this woman, but getting her all worked up and me as well wouldn't end well, not with her injuries. I sat behind her and pulled her between my bent legs, her back to my chest just holding her. I knew if I stayed quiet for long enough she wouldn't be able to stop herself from telling me.

"Okay you win, it was Clarence or Clarissa"  
"The cross dresser?"

"Yeah, Lula said he could change his looks and when that police officer said they found hair from a black wig I just knew it was him"

"How easy will it be to find him?"  
"I doubt he'd go back to that bar but he lived with his sister so maybe start there"  
"I'll send Santos and Hal out for him, maybe this is the break we've been waiting for"  
"Should we tell the police?"  
I didn't say anything; I really didn't know what to say, that we'd put him in a cell and interrogate him and if he still didn't talk then each one of my men had a special way of making a man talk, after all we'd all experienced it being done to us first hand, and he'd hurt my Babe, no one got away with that without them regretting it.

"You know what Ranger, I'd like a couple of minutes with him, where I can see his face"

I squeezed her gently to acknowledge what she'd said, maybe she knew more about me than I gave her credit for. I messaged Santos to take Hal and quietly pick up Clarence, starting at his sister's house. Two hours later we'd finished a meal and were debating what film to watch when a message came back. "In the cells" I smiled at how efficient Santos could be and as Steph came over to me with a questioning look I knew I had to tell her.

"They have Clarence downstairs"

"Let me go change first"

I shook my head at that, did it really matter what she wore? It did to her and when she came out of the room I had to admit that it probably did to me as well, but only in as much that it caused my blood to boil and my anger to flare at what that man had done to her. She was wearing low cut yoga pants and a sports bra, that emphasized the incision on her stomach and the wound in her shoulder, every cut and bruise on her arms and body was visible.

"I want him to see what he did to me"

I was just glad she put on a T-shirt of mine to go down stairs in or I'd have a riot of my own to contend with of my men trying to get to Clarence. She'd never been down to the area where the cells were, but no doubt was curious about them, Hal was standing guard outside and Santos was watching a viewing screen using the cameras we had inside.

"Have any trouble?"  
"Nah, took one look at me and tried to run, he didn't think there would someone waiting at the back"  
"The sister?"  
"Not there, so no witnesses"

"Good, he say anything?"

"No, but he's nervous"

"He shackled?"  
"Oh yeah, legs and hands"  
"Turn the lights off and when Steph is in place and I'm behind her switch them on"  
"You letting her go inside?"  
"She has some unfinished business with him"  
The lights went out and I explained to Steph what I wanted to do, she didn't respond but I could see her trying her best to calm herself and find some inner energy to overcome facing this man. When the lights came on Clarence looked down and blinked his eyes quickly but I almost broke from my blank face when I saw his reaction to Steph standing in front of him.

"You, I didn't mean it, I didn't know you'd be there, shit you got hurt bad didn't you?"  
"Fed up of playing the little woman Clarissa, want to play with the real men now?"  
She removed her T-shirt slowly and from nowhere she was holding a knife in her hands; where the hell had that come from? Then I realized it was one of mine, one I kept in the cabinet next to the bed, but surely she wasn't capable of hurting him or was she. Her voice was ice cold as she continued her conversation with him.

"You allowed me to think you were a decent person, I even treated you like a friend and this is how you treat me, allow me to be arrested and then you attack and kill Lula, she liked you, what did she do to deserve that treatment from you?"  
"I didn't know it would end up like it did"

She played with the knife in her hand, twirling it around as she watched it then stared directly at him.

"You played with the big men Clarence what did you expect?"  
"I just wanted to feel that I belonged"  
"Oh you do Clarence, so are you ready to be treated like a big man now?"  
She flicked the blade across his arm causing him to wince, it was only a scratch but the effect of the blood that came through his shirt had him staring at her.

"How's about I cut you in all the places you cut me and then we finish off with the back stabbing you gave Lula"

"You can't do that?"  
"Why not? No one knows you're here"  
"Please don't I'll do anything but please don't cut me"

"Maybe I'll think about that"

She gave him a longer cut on his other arm smiling when he cried out in pain and started to cry.

"Oh Clarissa not so brave now are you. You can stop this you know"  
"How, I'll do anything but please don't cut me again"  
"Then tell me who told you to steal the gun"  
"Oh god not that"  
"Clarissa , Clarissa do you know how many cuts you gave me?"

"Please no"

She brought her hand back and with the butt of the blade backhanded him across his cheek. Then brought the knife to his shoulder.

"You damaged my lung with this one"  
"She became my friend"

"Who did"  
"She said she was like me"  
"Clarence a name"

I stepped forward ready to pull Steph back, I could see the anger now in her eyes and knew she would totally regret it if she really did injure him badly. Clarence must have seen the same look because he realized she would put that knife in him and she'd already pushed enough against his shoulder that blood was dripping down.

"Theresa, but she was also Terence, she said she was like me, not knowing who she was or where she fit in"  
I saw the moment that Steph came to the conclusion that she knew who it was.

"Blond hair, good figure, big breasts?"

"Yeah she said she had trouble covering up when she wanted to be a man"

The knife slammed into the table and I saw her falter, a quick nod at the camera and the lights went out enabling me to quickly lift her up into my arms, leaving a wailing person alone in the cells. Terry Gillman had set it up but I doubted she ever wanted to be a man, she'd persuaded the sad idiot to do what she asked and I'd heard how good she was at getting what she wanted, but was the attack her idea or did Clarence do it to get himself out of trouble, he'd certainly been used, and was she working alone or as part of a bigger scheme?

"Santos we need to know whose idea it was to set Steph up for murder and to kill Lula"

"Leave it to me"

I carried Steph into the lift and once in the apartment went through to the bedroom, by now she was shaking so I slipped us both under the covers and drew her to me. I felt her calming down but knew she wasn't asleep; she was thinking through what she'd heard and trying to get some idea of what it meant.

"I screwed up"  
"I don't think so, I didn't know you had that in you"  
"I was angry but I didn't get as much information as I should have got"  
"What else would you want to know?"  
"If Terry was acting on her own to get me out of the way and did she tell Clarence to kill Lula"

"I'm so proud of you Babe, it isn't easy doing that and having to keep hold of your feelings inside of you"  
"I don't think I'm any good at interrogating someone"  
"You did brilliantly, you softened him up"  
"Is Lester going to finish him off?"  
"He'll ask the questions and get more detail"  
"Then what will we do with him?"  
"Maybe keep him here for a while"  
"I can't believe he was so good at fighting"  
"Well maybe being a man as a woman made him learn those skills, men don't like cross dressers as a rule and if he's someone who was always bullied as a kid he obviously decided to learn to fight back"

I knew Steph didn't want to face the fact that Terry was involved but her gun had been used to kill Stretch and he was tied into Carrigan and that meant that Terry was as well, I wondered if her uncle knew or if Morelli was also involved?

"I need to shower and change these dressings"

I helped her to sit up and watched as she collected some sleep wear before heading to the bathroom, I was worried about her, she was too calm, or seemed to be, and I was now waiting for the storm to unleash itself. As time passed I went over to the bathroom, hearing the water still running I quietly opened the door, not surprised to see her sat under the shower spray tears running down her face. I picked up a towel and stepped forward to turn off the water before gently lifting her to her feet and wrapping the towel around her. Her big blue eyes looked up to me, there was so much sadness in them.

"I'm sorry, I lost it"  
"Babe you have every reason to lose it"

Once I'd dried her thoroughly I lifted her and laid her on the bed and then reached over for the new dressings, the wounds looked to be heeling well so with new dressings in place I helped to pull a T-shirt over her head. As she lay back I looked down at her, was it because of me that she'd been so aggressive down in the cells, was I tainting her soul? Was I as good for her as she was for me?  
"Ranger what're you thinking about?"  
I sighed, could she read me so well now, or did I find it easier to let her in?  
"I'm not a nice man Babe, too many demons being carried around and I don't want you to change because of me"  
"Oh no you don't, don't you even think that, I'm not a saint either, and what I did downstairs had nothing to do with you, I did it for me and Lula. I'm fed up with people walking all over me, look where that gets me and anyway how can a badass, like you say you are, be so caring and loving if you didn't have a heart so strong and feelings so deep?"

I rested my forehead on hers, hell I suppose she was right, but I didn't want her to fall into the world I'd created without being sure.

"Are you sure you can cope with me?"  
"Forever and a day, because I love you and see the good in you, anyway I like the badass image you give out"

"I love you too Babe and I don't want to lose you, move in with me"  
"I think I just about have"  
"No, when this is over let's find a place that's for both of us"  
"Give up my apartment?"  
"Yes and where ever we are will belong to us both, or if you want I'll put the deeds in your name"  
"You know don't you?"  
"That your apartment is your place to escape to?"  
"Well I suppose, I never had somewhere to go before and when I divorced Dickie I had nothing. Morelli always made the point that the house he inherited from his Aunt was his and I'd be moving in with him. So I like the idea of someplace that's ours"

I felt a weight lifting when I listened to what she said, she really did the see some good in me and with her I felt better about myself. I felt her relax against me and when I was sure she was asleep slipped out of the bed and went into the lounge to see what Santos had managed to find out.

"You finished with him?"  
"Yeah, you want me to come up?"  
"Yes, but be quiet about it"

Santos came into the apartment and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge then sat down opposite me, his face had a big grin across it so I was keen to know what he'd done.

"Is Beautiful okay?"  
"She's asleep"  
"She sure put the fear of god in Clarence"

"He talked then"  
"Couldn't stop him"  
"So what did he say?"  
"Turns out he knew Terry through her ex husband, not sure how and that's not important. She found him and gave him this story of how she was like him, you know didn't know what skin to wear and that's why she ended up divorced. Anyway she told him she'd found the perfect man who understood her but that this woman, Steph, was trying to split them up and had threatened to shoot her. So Terry suggested that if Clarence was arrested for something trivial and used Vinnie as the bond agent then Clarence could maybe make friends with her and get hold of the gun. Didn't quite work out how Clarence thought it would, Beautiful didn't fall for his charms as a man, which pissed him off, so in the end he asked Lula to steal it for him"

"Do you think he knew Lula would do it for the money?"

"I have a feeling he maybe knew of her"  
"So when did Terry hatch the plan with Clarence?"  
"Two weeks before she disappeared"

So before Steph got involved in any of the sightings.  
"Who did he give the gun to?"  
"Left it in a lock up at the bus station and then left the key at a PO box"  
"Has he seen Terry since?"  
"No and he's upset with that because he didn't know what to do when Lula was arrested for her involvement in a murder, then he said he came up with the idea of how to get to Lula, but he said it didn't go as he'd planned, he said he just wanted to threaten her not to mention his name, when the alarms went off he came across Lula in the cell, he said she was loud and rude to him and he lost it. He said he didn't realize it was Steph in there with Lula, he thought she was a cell mate"  
"The system failure?"

"Apparently his sister works at the prison as a tech"

"So Terry maybe wanted Steph out of the way, but she has to be involved with Carrigan somehow"  
"Sure is a convoluted way of doing it"  
"If Steph had been charged with murder it wouldn't have been"  
"Do you think he knew Steph would be at the prison?"  
"No, I think he was after keeping Lula quiet, maybe she knew more"

"You mean Beautiful was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, again?"

"Looks like it"

"Shit she can't get a break can she?"

"No, I think we need to keep Clarence here, no point in advertising that we have him"  
"What about the sister?"  
"Let the investigation work that one out, you said she wasn't there at the house?"

"No sign of her"  
"Maybe when she realized what happened she ran"  
"I don't think she has anything to do with Terry, I think she probably thought she was helping her brother"  
I didn't answer that because it may or may not be true but I felt sure that Terry was somehow involved, how I wasn't sure.

"Ram got back, nothing of interest in New York"

Once Santos had left I went to my office, I needed to find out as much about Terry as I could, but somehow doubted that a search would find the answers I needed, I knew though that was the place to start so spent the next two hours going through the motions. The outcome was as I expected, it was a pretty comprehensive search but gave the impression of a woman who worked for her uncle as a business manager, her schooling and medical information were run of the mill, she married not long after leaving college, a pregnancy probably the reason for that, but she'd miscarried a month after the wedding and the husband had divorced her as soon as he could, giving her infidelity as the reason. I put the papers in the drawer and headed to the bathroom then after a quick shower was soon curled up next to my Babe.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

I had the strangest feeling of being watched which was probably why I came awake, I felt the edges of my lips curl up into a smile as I realized who it was.

"Morning Babe"  
"Did you know that when you're asleep you look totally scrumptious, your face is so relaxed and I was so tempted to move your hair from your face"

I opened my eyes to her looking down at me.

"Like this?"  
I tucked a wayward curl behind her ears and then leaned up and touched my lips to hers.

"You know you slept in don't you?"  
"Did my alarm go off?"  
"No I turned it off, you were fast asleep so probably needed the extra time"  
"How long have you been awake for?"  
"A couple of hours"  
"You should have woken me"  
"What and missed watching you sleep"

"You seem to be moving better"  
"Yeah, the shoulder feels good and my stomach seems better, do you think Bobby will take out the stitches?"  
"Maybe"  
"Well while I was awake I was thinking about what you'd said last night"  
"What did you decide?"  
"To go over to my apartment and collect some things and give notice to Dillon"  
"You sure?"  
"Yes I'm sure and if you kick me out I can always move in with Lester"  
"Not going to happen"  
"You kicking me out or me moving in with Lester?"  
"Both, I like having you here it feels like it's supposed to be"

"How's that?"  
"Like a home"

"If we get a place of our own can we take Ella?"  
"No, but I'm sure I'll find an alternative suggestion"  
"What's that, because I won't be held responsible for setting fire to the kitchen"  
"I need to work on it, so when I'm sure I'll let you know"  
"Okay I need to get up and go find Bobby"

I watched as she moved away from me and got out of the bed, she was moving a lot better today.

"Babe don't overdo it today, I know it feels easier but you're still healing"

"Yes sir"  
I went into the kitchen and sorted out breakfast for us both, granola, yoghurt and fresh fruit that for once Steph ate and seemed to enjoy. Once dressed I headed for five and my office while Steph went in search of Bobby, I wasn't sure he'd the take the stitches out just yet, but at least he would check her out while she was there. It was a while later when she appeared in my office.

"What did Bobby say?"  
"Tomorrow"  
"Tomorrow, shit I forgot to tell you"  
"Tell me what?"  
"It's Lula's funeral tomorrow, I spoke with Connie and she's organized something"  
"I should have helped her, she'll think I don't care"  
"No, she knows you got hurt, though I don't think she's too sure of why Lula was in prison other than the stealing"

"Well I'll call in at the office after I've been to my apartment"  
"I don't think she'll be there"  
"Ranger are you keeping things from me?"  
"No, I totally forgot, the police were here when I got back and then finding and talking to Clarence, I honestly forgot to tell you Babe"  
"Is there anything else you forgot to tell me?"  
I could see her eyes flare with temper and knew I needed to do something and quickly to divert her becoming even madder, so I got up from the desk and encircling her in my arms sank myself into her body, plunging my mouth against hers, teasing her lips until she reciprocated allowing our tongues to explore.

"That's not fair"  
"Maybe not but it's my way of apologizing, I'm sorry Babe"  
"Okay I'll let you off, but only the once"  
"You'll want to hear what Santos found out from Clarence"  
"Yeah, will I like it?"  
"Probably not"  
"Terry was behind it wasn't she?"  
"Getting him to steal the gun yes, setting you up for murder but working with someone else possibly. Lula being killed probably not and you being hurt no"

"So she's involved with Carrigan?"  
"Maybe"

"Why?"  
"Why what?"  
"Why did she want me to be arrested?"  
"Maybe she thought you were between her and Morelli"  
"He won't marry her"  
"Why not?"  
"Well apart from her mob connection and him being the police she can't have children"

"How's that?"  
"She had really serious complications when she was pregnant and after a miscarriage they discovered that a serious infection had made her infertile"

"How does that matter?"  
"Morelli wants a wife who'll have his children"

"Then he can't love her"  
"Why do you say that?"  
"Because I'd marry you tomorrow, children or not, because I love you"

I saw her look at her feet and bite her bottom lip, shit was it because she didn't want to marry me, didn't she love me enough?  
I watched as her thoughts swept across her face and saw the moment a smile crossed her face.

"You know I always thought it was marriage I was scared of but I think I was scared of marrying the wrong man"  
"Am I the right man Babe?"  
"Yes, you are"

I let out the breath I was holding, had I just asked her to marry me because if I had that was not how I was planning on doing it, so how did I proceed with this conversation without upsetting her, I couldn't take back what I'd said, not that I wanted to.

"Babe, I want to ask you to marry me and I will soon, but it will be at the right time in the right place, okay?"  
"Okay"

Now to move away from the subject before one of us said something wrong.

"You ready to go to your apartment?"  
"Are you coming with me?"  
"Of course"

I arranged for a car to shadow us telling them where we were going and then took the turbo as I was sure that would make her smile. As I parked the car by the door to her building she looked over at me with a quizzical look on her face.  
"How do you do it"  
"Do what"  
"Manage to park right next to the door"  
I didn't say a word as I got out and came to her door to help her.

"I love this car but you're gonna have to pull me up, I just can't do it"  
I never even thought that getting in and out of the low car would be difficult for her.  
"I'm sorry Babe, I was thinking how much you like this car"  
"No problem as long you help me"  
It almost felt nostalgic going up in the lift to her apartment I took the key from her hands and did a walk through making sure it was safe for her to come in. The place looked exactly as it did the last time I was here, except for maybe the thin layer of dust that had settled.  
"Babe what do you want to bring?"  
"Just some clothes and a box from the closet"  
"Tell me where the box is and I'll get it for you"

"Just on the floor as you open the door"  
I found the box which was maybe the size of four shoe boxes and put it on the bed while Steph started to put clothes into a bag. I went to the table by the side of the bed and picked up the earrings that were still there and dropped them into my pocket and then watched as she sat on the bed and took off the lid to the box. I must admit I was curious as to what she had in there and wondered over to take a look.

"That's strange"  
"What is?"  
"There's a parcel in here that shouldn't be"  
"Leave it there and I'll get Ram to come over and check it out"

I saw the look of fear cross her face, she'd had all sorts happen in this apartment and I didn't want to take any chances. I picked up the bag and guided her out as quickly as possibly and we were quickly on our way to Rangeman, I messaged Ram telling him to check out the parcel on the bed in Steph's apartment. As I pulled to a stop in the garage I looked over to her, she looked sad almost resigned at our speedy departure.

"Maybe it's something you forgot about?"

"No, I know exactly what's in that box"

"Ram won't be long"  
Again I helped her out of the car and we got onto the lift.

"I'll go unpack these, will you let me know when Ram gets back?"  
"You okay on your own?"  
"Yes, I feel safe in the apartment, I'm just disappointed that one of my last visits to my apartment had to end like that"  
"I know Babe, but it wasn't worth the risk to stay any longer, we'll go back again"  
"I need my cookie jar anyway"

"I'll be up for lunch"  
I got off at five and watched as the lift doors closed surprised when Tank came and stood next to me.

"I'd like to go to the funeral tomorrow"  
"You sure?"  
"Yes, I need to say goodbye to the woman I knew"

I wasn't looking forward to going, it would be a nightmare keeping Steph safe and I knew she wouldn't do well at the funeral. I was signing off on contracts for new security systems when Ram came to my door holding the package in his hands.

"I scanned this and it's clean"  
He handed me the package that I turned over in my hands, the only thing on it was Steph's name and it had been sealed so seeing as it was almost lunchtime I finished the contract I'd been reading and then headed up to seven. Ella was busy in the kitchen chatting away to Steph, who was leaning up against the counter, totally engaged in their conversation. I heard the words cooking and classes and assumed Steph might be asking for information for her mother.

"Hey I didn't hear you come in"  
I walked over to her and placed a kiss on her head that didn't go unnoticed by Ella. "How's Eula doing Ella?"  
"Good, she's quite a character that one and has had such a difficult life, but she's no slouch and she seems to enjoy helping out"  
"Maybe we can find a way to keep her off the streets"  
"Give her a bit more time, she's still got some habits that I need to break her from"  
"Like what?"

"Well she's a bit of a collector and so enamored with being able to wash whenever she wants, I'm sure she showers two or three times a day"

Ella left and I smiled at what she'd said, remembering how Eula would live from day to day and then turned to Steph looking down at the package in my hands and handed it to her.

"Is it okay to open?"  
"Ram says it's clear"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

She sat on the stool at the kitchen bar and did exactly what I'd done, turned the package over looking for some kind of clue as to what it was or where it came from. Eventually she teased it open and looked inside then pulled out a piece of folded paper, I stood behind her reading what seemed to be a short hand written note.

"Dear Miss Plum. I am so sorry for how things turned out, I would never have hurt you or allowed anyone else to. I know you made it to Boston and my intention was to ensure that you remained safe. I made a mistake and got involved with people who are not as

they seem and I wasn't going to let them take you, I'm sorry you ran when you saw me. I had to close the house down and found this book by your bed so have left it with you to finish reading, I know I hate it when I'm part way through a book and don't get to finish it. I only stopped in Trenton for a short visit, heading north, so take care of your self Miss Plum. Mr Stretch"

"Wow he really was a nice guy"

"What else is in the package Babe?"  
"Probably a science fiction book, when I took the poetry book I took that as well so it would look like I was occupied with reading it"

She tipped the package and a hardback book slid out, a book mark sticking out from the pages, as I tuned the book over I couldn't believe the title on the front, Alternate Wars by Gregory Benford"

"Babe is this the book you chose?"  
"Could be, I just pulled one out at random, but I didn't put the book mark in"  
"I wonder if it was already inside and Stretch made the assumption you were reading it?"

"Maybe, what does it look like?"  
I carefully opened the book and removed the bookmark holding it up to show her and watched as she studied it, then she surprised me when she started to look through the book.

"It's different"

"How?"  
"This must be an older edition, the way it's printed, and the pages don't have the same

lay out"

She took the bookmark from me and held it up to the light studying it carefully.

"See there?"  
All I could see was a very patterned design on the front, in fact now that I looked it could be an elongated version of the solar system, with a circle in the middle and others around it at different places and dotted lines possibly showing their orbit.

"Babe what are you seeing?"  
"Jay gave me a lay mans talk on atomic structure when he was trying to explain that book being radioactive, he said it was giving out beta particles. So I reckon this is a model of an atom, but see here in the first circle, there are three dots when there should only be two"  
"Okay so lets get this down to Jay and see if we have a microdot"

We were both eager and curious as to what might be in the dot and I really hoped that we'd managed to stumble across a way of maybe finding out what Harvey had been up to. The fact that Steph had been curious enough to ask Jay about atomic structure amazed me and that she had in some way understood it.

"Did you understand the lesson from Jay?"  
"On atoms?"  
"Yes"  
"Well he used pictures to show me and I do remember my chemistry lessons but somehow he explained it really well so even I could understand"

As we entered the office that Jay shared with Hector he could probably tell that we had found something, Steph was grinning and almost bouncing.

"What's got you so excited?"  
"This, it has a dot where it shouldn't"

He held it up to the light and smiled back at her.

"One too many electrons in the first shell"

"Can you see if it's one of those dot things?"  
"Sure but we need the lab with the high powered microscope"

Once there and with the dot now carefully removed from the bookmark Jay slid it under the lens and enabled us to see what was there on a screen.

"A series of numbers"  
"Maybe they refer to the book?"

"Maybe, I'll check the numbers against the book and see if it makes any sense"

He brought out a photocopy of the book and started on the first page but after waiting a few minutes stopped and looked over at Steph.

"Doesn't make sense, maybe we're missing a number, you know like which page to start from?"  
He rechecked the bookmark for anything else but seemed to draw a blank and as I turned to Steph her face suddenly lit up and she raced out of the office.

"Be back"

"Does the atom on the bookmark mean anything?"  
"Don't think so, it's an atom of krypton so it's inert"

Steph came running into the lab her cheeks pink from moving quickly but in her hand was the book she'd been left by Stretch.

"Try the story named "Turpentine", that's where the bookmark was"

I went back in my memory for what I'd remembered when researching the book and was suddenly extremely nervous as to what Jay might find. That particular short story was an account of black radicals threatening nuclear blackmail at the University of Chicago and getting nuked by Lyndon Johnson. It was a strange story and I wasn't really sure of what the author was trying to express other than a pretentious statement on those violent years where, since LBJ pulls out of Vietnam, he decides to nuke a campus.

Jay was busy working between the microdot and the copied book and by the way he was writing down words maybe we had found a way to decipher a message from Harvey, but why would he leave a message when the likelihood of it being found was almost non-existent?

"Ranger if this is the right page and those numbers are meant to match against the text then it isn't good"

"Read out what you have"  
"I'll put it on the screen so you can take your time"

I watched as the words appeared on the screen trying to make sense of them and then realized that though they didn't make up sentences the words individually or as a phrase might.

"Dying. unstable. not safe. time. new technology. unable. brother. catastrophe. meaningless. justification. internal dialogue. threats. blackmail. revenge. mob. too late"

"Is that all of them?"

"Yes, if there were two consecutive numbers then I left the two words together"

"Jay what do you make of it"  
"They were planning to get back at the families with some sort of new technology"  
I turned to Steph as she said that and noticed Jay nod his head as if he was agreeing with her, in some ways that made sense, especially from what Ramos and Jemerez had said, but there were still too many details eluding me.

"Jay have you managed to isolate what is causing the emission from the book?"  
"No, someone from a research lab I know collected a sample yesterday, so when he lets me know I'll tell you"

"Babe?"  
"I know, you want me to do research into what may have been mob activities"

"Not yet. Maybe see what you can find out about Carrigan's wife, where the accident was, maybe that's a good enough reason for revenge"

"What will you do?"  
"I want to find out what Terry Gilman's involvement is in all of this"

We made our from the lab and were on the lift to go to five, I thought using my office might be the best place to work from.  
"I might be able to find something from Grandma, after all she might know"  
"Maybe I'll eavesdrop into that conversation"  
"Don't blame me if she goes off track and you get to hear what she's been up to"

"When are they due back?"  
"Next week, they said they'd be away for about three weeks"  
Once inside my office Steph got out her phone and then placed it on the table, the speaker announcing her Grandmothers voice.

"That you Steph?"  
"Yes Grandma, how you doing?"  
"Me, I'm doing real good, me and Gertie get on real well and seem to have the same ideas"  
"That's good then"  
"I hear there's been a some trouble back home, is it true?"  
"What have you heard Grandma"  
"That Lula got done for stealing, I can't believe that, do you think she stole anything of mine?"  
"No I don't think she'd do that"  
"I mean she was always so friendly and helpful"  
"I know, Grandma maybe you can help me out"  
"Go ahead I hear about just about everything"  
"A woman called Rita Harvey?"  
"How long ago we talking about here?"  
"About thirty years ago"  
"Sheesh girl that's a long time ago, your granddad was still alive then"  
"Well I think she got hurt badly"  
"That her married name?"  
"Yes"

"You know her maiden name?"  
I passed Steph the search she had done pointing out the name.

"Cancio"

"Rita Cancio, that sounds familiar, give me a minute to think"  
We both sat quietly waiting for Edna to talk, I took Steph's hand in mine and brought it to my lips, kissing her palm and then her wrist, she didn't pull away instead she leaned forward and pressed her lips to my neck, as my hand was about to run through the hair on her head we were interrupted by the shrill voice of Edna.

"I remember, she didn't go to school round here, that's why it took a while to remember, went to some expensive school out of town, but she was the talk of the Burg when she married a man who wasn't Italian, don't know who he was, never came across him, but she disappeared about a year later, talk was that she'd had enough of the gossip, but I heard she was badly hurt in some accident"  
"What accident was that Grandma?"  
"Well her and her sister often went to pick up the sisters boyfriend from where he worked, and he was connected if you know what I mean, there was an explosion but I'm not sure what happened"

"Do you know where the accident happened?"  
"Oh Lord, out of town, maybe down river, I don't know any more"  
"Thanks Grandma, will I see you soon?"  
"Not sure on that, I may stay here a while"  
"Well behave Grandma"  
"I will Baby Girl"

That conversation had my mind turning, Jemerez had thought that Carrigan was based down stream somewhere near Bordertown on an offshoot of the Delaware River. Had he gone back to where the accident with his wife had happened and what the hell had the mob been up to if it caused an explosion?

"Do you know where that was?"  
"Maybe, you see what you can find out about Rita and her sister and I'll see if I can locate the building"

I watched as she walked over to my desk and lifted up my laptop then settled back down on the couch, her legs tucked under her. She was totally absorbed in what she was doing so I went to my desk and started to look for where this building might be. I viewed the area from a satellite image surprised that there were not that many buildings that fronted the creek, Crosswicks Creek, but zoomed in on those that were there, not many at all but as I scanned past the Yacht Club and detached houses, beyond a small inlet there was what looked like a building amongst the trees. There was no obvious road accessing it, but then again it could be well hidden and these maps weren't always up to date. I sent a message to Hector for him to hack into the land registry system and get a history of that building as he would be able to do that far quicker than I could. Now I needed some information on Terry Gilman. I knew she was called Grizoli before her marriage and for some reason had kept her married name, her uncle was Vito Grizoli whom she worked for, doing what I was never too sure of, but Grizoli had always made it clear that she wouldn't be taking over when he decided to retire, or died. Maybe that was why Terry had sided with Carrigan, she wanted the power of being in charge and knew her uncle wouldn't give it to her, though her association with Morelli probably didn't help, unless Morelli was playing both sides of the law. I looked back at the search I'd done trying to get a line on her parents, her father was Vito's younger brother but the only mention of her mother was an occasion reference and never by name. In fact from this search I couldn't even work out where they might be, strange, though I suppose Vito could have covered their tracks and accessed any information and changed it. As I stopped to stretch out my neck I saw Steph scowling at the computer, usually that meant she had found something of interest and was trying to puzzle out if it was important. I continued to watch as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, now she was thinking and by the look of her face she didn't seem to like what she was thinking about. When her eyes opened they immediately looked straight at me and I thought she was going to say something, she obviously decided that maybe her thoughts weren't any good.

"Talk me through what you've found"  
"How do you know I've found something?"  
"How your facial expressions change"  
"Oh, well I'm not sure if I figured this out right"  
"So let me help"  
"Okay, I was trying to put a timeline on things"  
"That's probably a very good idea"

I handed her a black marker pen and led her to the white board, stepping back waiting for her to start.

"So if I put the accident here, that was thirty four years ago, making Rita fifty four. I think the sister was younger than Rita but because Grandma didn't mention her other than to say her father worked for the mafia I decided she was worth looking for. According to what I could find Rita had regular visits from her husband, but then six months after he stopped going and she was moved, he wouldn't allow anyone else to visit, something about them upsetting her and the husband not wanting them there. So I checked on when Terry was born, from a search you'd already run, and found she was born a month before the accident, I think Terry's mother is Rita's sister"

"I can't find any record of Terry's parents"  
"You didn't know where to look"  
"Oh and where was that?"  
"Photographs from the archive of the kindergarten we went to"

"Well no I probably would never have even thought to look there, so what did it tell you?"

"Terry's mother was married to Vito Grizoli's younger brother, so actually Carrigan is her uncle as well"

I watched as she wrote the birthday of Terry on to the board, she was born just before the accident, but obviously the sister was too far away from the blast to be affected.

"Okay, but you have something else don't you?"  
"Well when I thought about it, and the kids I went to school with, there isn't anyone I know who's an only child. I mean most of us are Catholic and in those days contraception was a bit more hit and miss than it is now, so why only Terry?"  
"Maybe her mother couldn't have any more?"  
"I thought of that, but then I did a deep search on Rita's medical record. She was pregnant when the accident happened and lost the baby"  
"So her sister turning up with hers wouldn't have gone down too well"  
"Yeah but that's not all, apart from the horrendous burns they also found high levels of cocaine and a pesticide throughout her system and pesticides are known to make men infertile if that's where Terry's father spent his time"

"Okay let me get this straight in my head. The building where Rita and her sister went to was being used by Grizoli or others to lace cocaine with pesticides before packing and shipping it out"

"Yes, there was an explosion, I don't know what caused that, but huge amounts of pesticide and cocaine were blown out with the explosion"  
"And pesticides can cause irritation or burns and your skin can absorb the pesticide into the body, causing other health effects and then some would be inhaled"

"So maybe Carrigan is getting revenge for his wife"  
"I think so. Could Terry have been affected before she was born or through breast feeding from her mother?"

"I really don't know. Oh because Terry can't have children"

"If she didn't know and Carrigan told her then maybe that's why she's in with Carrigan"

"So we need to know who was running that building all those years ago"

"Yes and I have Hector on that"  
"You know where it is?"  
"Something your Grandmother said tied in with what Jemerez had heard"

"Okay so now what?"  
"We pin all this on the boards and go eat"  
Things were beginning to fall into place, the motive, the players and a location for where Carrigan was working from but now we really needed to know exactly what he planned to do and where, it would take some doing to get all the bosses in one place at the same time, though maybe when Jimmy was alive they did that. Jimmy had almost been the patriarch of the group, older and in some ways more ruthless but as he'd aged he'd seen the sense of co-operation between the families and the need to allocate boundaries within what they did and where they did it. Of the men left they were all of a similar age, even though Jemerez looked younger, he would have been around at the same time as the others, though I wasn't sure in what capacity any of them worked or who was pulling the strings back then. I know I was quiet as we travelled up in the lift and was just thankful as Steph leaned back on me without saying anything. She was obviously aware that I needed a little time to think. Once into the apartment I made the decision to leave those thoughts outside.

I threw my keys in the tray and found Steph peeking under the covers of the pot left on the warmer, smiling as she closed her eyes and breathed in the fragrant aroma coming out.

"Mmm, that smells amazing"

"Do you know what it is?"

"Well when I was talking to Ella I asked if she'd make something traditionally Cuban that you would eat and enjoy, she said something about rope?"

"Ropa vieja, shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base, black beans, yellow rice, plantains and fried yucca"

She laid the plates and cutlery onto the table while I brought the pot out and then while she got the glasses I found a bottle of red wine that would do nicely. That Steph was getting better was evident through how much she ate and the sounds that came from her, sounds that were so reminiscent of her moving beneath me that I had to blank my thoughts to get some control, she still wasn't completely healed and that had to be put before any needs I might have. Once we cleared the table we took our glasses and she curled up to me on the couch, something that had become a time that I looked forward to, a time to touch her and smell her unique smell, play my fingers through her wild curls and feel the curves of her body nestling into me. She was quiet again, her hand on my chest tracing circles on my muscles with her fingers.

"What's happening tomorrow?"

That was what was on her mind, Lula's funeral.

"Connie thought that Lula would prefer a cremation"  
"Yeah, Lula hated cemeteries, she got spooked by her own shadow and started to conjure up images of zombies and vampires"  
"I remember when Diesel and I found you in that hole in the cemetery"  
"God that was awful, I really thought they were gonna bury us alive and suck our brains out"  
I laughed at the memory but at the time it was far from funny, she'd managed to lose the wire we'd given her and there were too many men as zombies for us to handle, so we'd waited for the police to arrive, hoping that her and Lula could last out.

"Tank's coming with us"  
"He wants to go?"  
"Yeah, he said he needed to say goodbye to her as he remembered her"  
"So it's a service at a small chapel?"  
"Yes, 11am, so it won't be long"

"Will Connie open the office?"  
"I don't think so, Harry had Vinnie and Lucille go on an extended cruise"  
"So I don't have a job then"  
"Yes you do, here at Rangeman"

"I'll go nuts doing searches all day"  
"Well I was thinking, how about we set up a Bond Office here?"  
"At Rangeman?"  
"Why not, I'll talk with the core team after tomorrow"

"So I could still bring in skips?"  
"Yes, and maybe you can work with the men to bring them in"  
"Okay"

"Just okay?"  
"No, I like the idea"

"Good and you did start to do some training with Jay and Ram can set you up with a better gun and help you get used to it"  
"Okay I know what I agreed to and I won't go back on my word"

"Good because I intend for you to be around for a very long time"

"Well I need to shower and sort out what to wear"

I locked the door and turned out the lights before changing into boxer shorts and was sat checking emails when Steph came into the bedroom, once she was changed and tucked into my side I set the alarm and tuned out the light.

"Goodnight Babe"  
"I love you"

"Where did that come from?"  
"I like the sound of it and last thing at night it helps me to sleep"  
"Te amo, querida"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

As I turned off the alarm Steph was still fast asleep, it was 0500 and I would hit the gym before breakfast so slipped quietly from the bed, as Steph moaned in her sleep I tucked my pillow where I had been watching as she pulled it to her face. I had never really noticed that the smell I carried was so enticing to her, but I made sure that Ella always kept a stock of Bulgari in the storeroom. I took my kit with me and changed in the bathroom thinking how well the things that Steph had brought with her seemed to fit in so well, and where before I would be insane with how tidy things had to be, there was something so familiar with the clutter that seemed to grow across the counter. Once down in the gym I started on the treadmill and then moved across to the weights, noticing that Tank had come in. He looked more somber than usual which I put down to the funeral today so I wasn't about to interrupt his thoughts. As I finished my weights he nodded toward the mats, it had been a few months since we had had a bout and I had to say I wasn't looking forward to it. Tank's mood seemed to improve as we moved around each other, each attack was defended and so far we were well matched, while Tank had the strength I still had the speed and stamina so I knew after fifteen minutes I was slowly gaining the upper hand, as he moved toward me I feigned a move to my left and then I had him, a leg behind his, a shoulder to his and he fell with me holding him down.

"Shit Ranger I thought with you missing your morning sessions you'd have slowed down a bit"  
"No chance Tank, though I had to work hard to get there in the end"  
I rolled to my back and looked up at the ceiling, Tank still laid out beside me.

"Steph and I found some links yesterday"  
"Enough to give us some answers?"  
"I think so, we just need to work the how, when and where now"  
"What do you think his plan is"  
"Revenge on the bosses"  
"Wrath, one of the seven deadly sins then?"  
"Probably and a mix of some of the others"  
"What next?"  
"Get through this morning and then start planning our next move"

"We'll need some cover today"  
"We will"  
"Santos is coming with me so I'll sort out a couple of teams as shadows"  
"Thanks Tank"  
"It's not for you, it's for my Little Girl"  
I laughed as he got up and pulled me to my feet. We went our separate ways, I went up to my office to use the shower there and decided I might as well dress in a suit now, and seeing as it was nearly 0900 it was time to wake Steph up. I was surprised at how deep in sleep she was and did what I knew she would enjoy, I started to pepper her face with kisses and like I hoped she smiled before opening her eyes.

"I should sleep in more often"

"You slept well Babe"

"Yes I did, I said I would"

"Te amo Querida"  
"Te amo Carlos"

"I like the sound of that"  
"Me calling you by that name"  
"Yes, it feels more intimate than Ranger"  
"Then if you want that's what I'll call you"  
I nuzzled my face into her neck and sucked the skin into my mouth feeling her respond by pulling me tighter to her.

"You need to get up and maybe Bobby can take those stitches out"

"That sounds like a plan to me. What time are we leaving this morning?"  
"10.30, so you have time, I'll call him to come up while you get some breakfast"  
She moved from the bed and took my robe from the back of the door, I'm sure she was the only one who ever wore it, I certainly didn't and I liked that she wore my things. Bobby was expecting the call so came up straight away and sat with Steph as she ate a bagel and cream cheese.

"You're eating better Bomber"  
"I am, and I'm getting used to the healthy stuff, you know I haven't had a doughnut for what seems like weeks, I used to call at the Tasty Pastry every morning for Connie and Lula"

She stopped talking and tears welled up in her eyes, I saw Bobby lean forward and give her a hug, this morning was going to be hard on her.

"Lets get those stitches out shall we?"

"Please"  
"Go lay on the couch, it won't take long"  
I watched as she undid the robe and pulled up her T-shirt, the wound was healing and I knew she'd feel even better with the stitches out. As soon as he finished on those she sat up and pulled down the collar to reveal her shoulder.

"Brilliant, every where looks good"

"Do I need to wear the sling?"  
"No, but if it starts to hurt pop it on to take off the pressure from your shoulder"

An hour later we were ready to leave, Steph had chosen dark grey trousers and a black roll necked sweater. I passed her the jacket from the back of the couch and helped her get it on, then with a small bag over her shoulder we made our way down to the garage. I'd sent two teams out to the small chapel that Connie had chosen to scout out the area and inside, when we arrived we'd use their parking spaces close to the door and they would then keep a watch on the outside. Tank, Santos and Ram were waiting for us, all dressed in dark suits, they each expressed a desire to be there if only to protect Steph. I could tell that Steph was feeling distraught but there was something else that seemed to be bothering her, as I helped her into the back seat of an SUV and fastened her seat belt I lifted her chin to look at me.

"Something's got you on edge, what is it?"

"I don't know if it's just thinking about Lula and where we're going but I have a horrible feeling creeping through me"  
"We don't have to go"  
"No, I do, but please stay close to me"  
"Always Babe"  
I saw that Tank was concerned and as I got in to drive shook my head, somehow I needed to alert everyone to be extra vigilant but I didn't want Steph any more worried than she already was. Her sense of an impending disaster were usually right though so in the end after a look in the rear view mirror and seeing that Steph was absorbed in her own thoughts I quietly whispered to Tank.

"Steph has a feeling something is going to happen"  
"Shit, she's not usually wrong. I'll message the others"

I watched from the corner of my eye as he took his phone out to let all men know to be on high alert then focused on my driving and getting us to our destination. It wasn't a long journey and as we arrived two SUVs backed out of parking spaces allowing us to park close to the door.

"That's how you do it"  
I smiled at the reflection of Steph in the mirror.

"Secret's out Babe"

I moved out of the car and helped Steph out and then almost in a formation walked toward the entrance way, Tank leading, with Santos on Steph's left, me on her right an arm around her waist and Ram following behind. Once inside Steph moved forward and into the arms of Connie, both were now shedding tears and spoke quietly to each other. Connie made to move into the main area where the service would take place so again we took up our positions around Steph. I was surprised at the number of people who were here, friends of both Lula and Steph and each one seemed to feel the need to come up to her and hug her saying something in whispers that only she could hear. Sally Sweet dressed as only he could, Mooner who for once looked sober and Dougie, hell even Briggs had turned up. There were women I didn't recognize obviously from the neighborhood where Lula had lived and possibly some street girls she had known, I recognized Jackie, a ho who had worked the streets with Lula and then there were an assortment of men that I had no idea who they were. There were even some officers here, Eddie and Big Dawg but my blood ran cold when I saw Morelli step out from a seat and approach us and I felt Steph move in closer to me but she didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry Cupcake, I know you and Lula were close"

Still she never spoke and I could see that Morelli had no idea what to say next, but as the seconds ticked by I could see him getting agitated.

"Well at least say something"  
"What is there to say?"  
"Would you sit with me for the service?"  
"No Joe"  
She turned away from him and began to talk to Mrs Bestler and a group from her building leaving Morelli staring at her back, he wasn't happy about her shunning him but fortunately Eddie came over and stood between us.

"How's Steph doing Ranger"  
"At the moment coping"

"I'll move him outta your way, but tell Steph to talk to me later"

He turned away and took Morelli by the arm, pulling him back to where they were sat and as some music had started to play I took that as our cue to find a seat. Santos had already sat down so I guided Steph to sit next to him and then sat down beside her, as I'd taken my seat I saw Ram was behind us and noticed Detective Mason at the back of the hall. Tank was sat with Connie so for now I sat quietly but kept a constant watch around the room. The coffin holding Lula was placed at the front and I have to say the format of the service wasn't what I was expecting, the songs were from the heart just the way I imagined Lula would like it and it did present as a joyous event, focused on the life of Lula and the returning of her soul to God. Various people spontaneously stood up to share with everyone a positive memory they had of Lula and I felt by the end of the service that the mood wasn't as somber as it was at other funerals I'd been to. I could feel how Steph reacted to the on going service and where she would normally be a blubbering mess she was caught between crying and laughing. It was as the coffin was moved for it's journey to the crematorium that she eventually broke and all I could do to comfort her was to pull her close into me, she wasn't the only one feeling that way as I noticed Tank do the same for Connie. I nodded my head at Santos and then Ram as I moved to bring Steph away from her seat and then we joined the crowd that was now leaving, each going back to the lives they led. I was about to open the car when my phone vibrated in my pocket, not once but twice meaning that I had two messages to look at. Once Steph was in the back of the car and Santos was sat next to me I read the messages.

"Shit"  
"What's wrong Ranger?"  
"Ramos, he says they've been called to a meeting"

"Did he say where?"  
"No"

I opened the second message, this one was from Jemerez and he was a little more informative.

"Jemerez saying the same thing but he also says it's where we talked about"  
"Why send cryptic clues?"  
"I think they feel that any electrical devise is being monitored"  
I engaged the engine and set off for Rangeman much more aware of traffic around me.

"Santos tell Tank to go to level two and to meet us back at Rangeman"  
Santos used his fob to open the garage doors but I had to come to a stop when they didn't open, I looked at Santos as he kept clicking the fob but in the end I turned off the engine and got out of the car.

"It's a trap, get help while I get Steph inside"

I ran to the door as she was getting out and we both ran toward the front entrance with Santos and Ram now behind us, what I couldn't understand was where were the men who were supposed to be backing us up. The answer became ever so obvious as we got inside, men were laid down on the floor, not from injuries that I could see. Steph bumped into my back as I came to a halt.

"What the hell happened to them?"  
As she said that the realization hit me, gas, there was gas in here and it had knocked everyone out.

"Outside now"

I could already feel the effects, my movements became sluggish and my vision started to blur, I saw Santos go down on his hands and knees before he collapsed over onto his side, I made a grab for Steph holding her tight as I sank to the floor. Was I seeing things, had someone made it through to help us? Men with gas masks on came over to us and then were taking Steph from my arms? Without her I too collapsed to the floor trying to fight the darkness but getting weaker by the second until the blackness took over.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

When I could hear my thoughts in my head I knew I needed to get up, I struggled with the simplest act of opening my eyes, though sounds were beginning to make their way through the buzzing in my ears.

"Just lie still Ranger, the effects don't last long, give your body a chance to recover"  
What the hell just happened, why was Rangeman taken by surprise?  
"Bobby?"  
"I'm here Ranger"

"Any casualties?"  
"No, just after effects of the gas"  
"Steph?"  
"I don't know"

I finally managed to open my eyes, looking up at the ceiling, still in the reception area. Bobby helped me to sit up and I looked around as men were slowly coming to. I shook my head to clear it as Tank came into the room.

"Tank what the hell happened?"  
"I think they got gas into the air ducts, it didn't trigger the alarms so I'm not sure what it was"  
"How?"  
"I don't know, I'm waiting on answers from Hector and Jay"  
"Steph, where is she?"  
"She wasn't here"

Shit why would they take her now, what the hell did she have to do with any of this?

I slowly stood up with a helping hand from Tank and then turned to Bobby.

"Is the building clear now?"  
"Yes"  
"Tank have a skeleton crew on the monitors and close reception, full meeting in fifteen in the conference room and get Hector and Jay there with some answers"  
I took the stairs up to seven glad that my mind seemed to have cleared and my body was working as I needed it to. I didn't look round the apartment but went straight to the closet in the bedroom, discarding the suit and shirt I was soon in cargos, long sleeved T-shirt and cat boots. I went to the safe in the closet and brought out guns, knives and grenades then with a Kevlar vest on I attached the weapons to the straps and holders. I had to find my zone and not think of where Steph could be, I would be more productive in helping her by being in mercenary mode. As I walked into the conference room it was packed, it seemed even those not on duty were here and every man was dressed for action, every man showing focus and determination.

"Hector?"  
"They sent miniature drones in through the air ducts, no larger than a fly, once in the main air conditioning unit it seemed they massed together and caused a small explosion emitting the gas that was held inside them"  
"Jay?"  
"Controlled through hand held units close by, no doubt the men who came into the building through reception, two went down to the garage and disabled the door and another two took Steph into a waiting car"  
"Any messages?"  
"None"  
"Hector put up that building at Bordertown on the screen"

Everyone turned to look first at a map and then an overhead image.

"This is where Carrigan is meeting with the bosses so we are going in there and putting a stop to this and getting Steph back"  
"Why take her?"  
"I don't know Bobby"

"Okay how do you know about this meeting?"  
"A message from Ramos and Jemerez"

"Are those messages kosher, you know what I mean, they did come from them and this isn't some kind of trap?"  
"I don't think so and if there's any chance that is where he's taken her then that's where I'm going, I don't expect anyone here to follow me"  
"Yeah like that's gonna happen, I'm with you Ranger"  
I nodded my head at Santos, he would always back me up just as I would him, but the voices coming from the men gave me pause to be thankful for a group of men who would follow me anywhere.

"Jay the helicopter intact?"  
"Yes, they didn't go beyond the garage and the first floor so didn't see it"  
"Okay then this is what we do"

As I drove down route 206 with Santos, Tank and Cal I knew my men would be where they were supposed to be, we'd decided to forgo the communication system we would normally use because Jay felt that it might be picked up and that would spoil the surprise we had in mind. Once I'd left the main road I followed the road that ran parallel to the creek and pulled over where I knew we wouldn't be seen form the road or anyone guarding the building. Once on foot we moved silently through the trees using hand signals when necessary. When we had the building in our sights we stopped and took cover, Jay had warned us that maybe this guy would rely on sensors and cameras to detect anyone moving around the building, so our next move was to disable the sensors and cameras as we moved through them, a trick that Jay had perfected as part of his paranoia when he locked himself away from the world. We each had an emitter on us that would do that and we each took a different route to get into the building, that way if they did realize we were there at least we'd give them something to think about. Hector had found some plans for the place and while Carrigan may have done some minor alterations there was no evidence of heavy construction, that was a risk we would have to take. I was heading to the upper floor where the offices would be while Tank and Cal were making for the large warehouse area to try to establish what Carrigan was up to. Santos caught me up as I moved up the stairwell and then stopped a half flight up from the door to the top floor. We were trying to establish if there was any sign of guards and when the coast seemed clear we moved back down and went through the door onto a corridor. I just hoped my hunch was right and that Steph wouldn't be in on any meeting. The worry I had was that the building seemed too quiet, any sound we made seemed to echo from the walls. As we walked down the corridor we each checked through the glass panes in the door trying to establish who might be up here. As Santos checked through one of the windows on the right he nodded across to me, meaning I prayed that she was there. I picked the lock and carefully entered the room, leaving Santos standing outside, I could see her laid down on the floor at the far end of the room. It covered an enormous area, with no windows or other doors, I just didn't know if it was a trap. It was set up as an office area with lots of tables and chairs but I could tell from the state of the furniture that they had been here awhile. I took the risk, I had to, no way was I leaving Steph alone so I let the door close and walking around the perimeter quietly walked over to her. The room was circular with a dome of glass above its center, and for some reason I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. As I reached for her she suddenly sat up fear wracking her eyes and face.

"You can't be here, you have to get out"  
"Not without you"  
"It's a trap"

I pulled her to her feet and made for the door, but it wouldn't open, even when I tried to use the tools, the lock on the handle was opening but there must have been another mechanism keeping it shut. A sound behind us had me turning and a screen on the wall came to life with the face of the man we had been looking for, Carrigan Davey.

"I didn't expect you quite so soon Mr Manoso, you certainly live up to your reputation"  
"What do want Carrigan?"  
That threw him; he obviously didn't expect me to know who he was.

"Clever Mr Manoso, they said the woman was amazing at detecting and that you were the tracker, but it doesn't matter what you know, I have you here and that annoying Miss Plum"  
"Let her go Carrigan"  
"Now why would I do that?"  
I just hoped the rest of the men had done their work undetected because now I wasn't sure how to get out of here. I held Steph to me as Carrigan continued to talk.

"You see you Mr Manoso was someone I knew I could never threaten or control, in some ways you were as bad as Jimmy always knowing what was going on and there to stop anyone getting out of hand and Miss Plum, what can I say, she has this uncanny way of seeing things and then working at a problem like a dog with a bone, she annoys me in more ways than you will ever understand. Having the two of you here serves my purposes as an example to those others who don't have your morals or tenacity"  
"Carrigan what do you hope to achieve here?"

"Kill two birds with one stone Mr Manoso. You have ten minutes to say goodbye to each other"  
At that last statement the screen went dead and I looked down at Steph.

"Babe did he say anything?"  
"He said he has some type of bombs all around the room"

"Show me"

"They're on the floor by the walls"  
I walked to the wall and knelt down beside a circular disc, it was only about five inches in diameter and an inch thick but there was no way I could move it.

"He said they're bolted down"  
"Okay, have you seen any cameras?"  
"Just that one above the screen"  
I took out some spray paint from a pocket in my cargos and handed it to her, I wasn't sure if Jay's devise was working or not, probably not if Carrigan had seen me, maybe he was using a hard wired system.

"Spray paint the lens"  
As Steph did that I started to move the tables to the center of the room, I needed to try to give us some protection. Steph came and helped me and within minutes we had built a cocoon in the middle of the floor, god knows what had happened to Santos. I pulled her to me and sat down on the floor, her sat between my legs but with hers wrapped around me, I opened my vest, taking it off and placed it around her and then pulled her to my chest.

"I'm so sorry Babe"  
"It isn't your fault, it's his, all his"  
"Christ Babe I don't want anything to happen to you, I love you too much"  
"Carlos I love you too, and if we die together then that's what's meant to happen, but don't you dare die and leave me alone"

"That goes for you as well, I love you Stephanie, more than I ever thought I could love someone"  
"I love you too Carlos, please don't leave me"  
I held her tight against me, a hand on her head and one round her back, I knew we didn't have long, by my reckoning maybe less than a minute. I turned her head and plunged my tongue into her mouth savoring what could be my last moment with her, I felt her push herself as close as she could get and then heard the click of the detonators and the surge of power that suddenly came toward us. I held her tight not allowing her to break the kiss, a roaring sound and debris hit us with a violent force and that was the last that I remembered.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"He coming round?"  
"Give him space"  
Hell what was all the shouting about? And where the hell was I? I hurt all over but nowhere in particular, did that mean I had managed to survive the blast? Steph where was she, I had to find her, she had to be alive and all right, I wouldn't survive without her now. I felt I couldn't breathe and I know my hands were trying to get to my face, but something wouldn't let me, was I trapped covered in debris? I concentrated on opening my eyes and looked up to see Santos and Tank staring down at me, as I turned my head a pain shot through me but to hell with the pain I needed to see my Babe.

"Ranger calm your self down, Steph's here with you"  
She was here? Hearing that must have made me relax a little because I seemed to slip into a world of quiet and could almost feel my self floating, and I'm sure I was moving, but the pain wasn't as severe and could I feel a soft cool breeze on my face? Was I really alive or dreaming? Or had I passed to the other side, had we both died in that blast? I could still feel the taste of her on my lips and the feel of her body pressed against mine, I heard the words we'd said to each other, her voice as she pleaded for me to stay with her. A rollercoaster of images and sounds rolled through my head leaving the image of her blue eyes looking up into mine, her smile and laugh was the last vestige of those memories before I sank into a peaceful abyss.

When I next became aware of any of my senses it was the quiet voices surrounding me and the soft light enticing me to open my eyes that made me want to re-join whatever world I had fallen into. There didn't seem to be the pain I had experienced before, but I knew it was still lurking in the background. What had me doubting my own senses though was the feel of a warm body beside me. I slowly forced my eyelids open allowing a pale light to flicker across my vision, once focused I could see that the light was sunlight behind the movement of leaves, I had no idea where I was but at the moment that didn't matter, what mattered was laying next to me, was she alive or hurt badly? I had no idea of where we were the only thing that mattered right now was my Babe. I turned my head slightly and felt a rush of emotion take over, laying next to my shoulder was a mass of brown curls, I tentatively flexed my arm pleased that no pain came and then carefully allowed my hand to stroke through those curls. A movement had me stopping and there looking back at me were those bright blue eyes that I held so dear.

"You're awake"  
"Seems I am"  
"How do you feel?"  
"A bit groggy but until I move I don't know"  
"Blame Bobby for being groggy, he had to sedate you, you kinda went nuts after they got us out"  
"What happened?"  
"No idea, Lester said he was only going to tell the story once so I had to wait until you woke up"

"Are you hurt?"  
"No, maybe a lot of bruises and aches, god knows how we managed to get out of there alive let alone uninjured"

I rested my head back on the pillow and tried to take in what she'd said and then slowly, starting with my toes flexed my muscles to determine if I had any injuries. My back and neck felt uncomfortable but I knew once I could move about that would go. I felt movement beside me and looking over saw that Bobby was helping Steph to stand up. He looked over to me and smiled and as he led her somewhere out of my sight shouted back at me.

"With you in a minute Ranger"

It was less than that before he was sat next to me on the bed.

"How you feeling?"

"Like I took a beating"  
"Yeah well you probably did. You want to try to sit up?"

I nodded my head and using my arms to push me up brought myself up into a sitting position.

"How does that feel?"  
"Just a bit light headed"  
"Okay that should pass and then we'll get you to the bathroom"  
Him saying that made me realize I did need to pee and accepted his help as I carefully brought my feet to the floor. I did stand up but a wave of dizziness had me sat back down, shit what the hell had happened to me? I made the move again pleased when my feet and head seemed to accept the movement and was soon leant against a wall emptying my bladder into the basin. I adjusted the joggers I now seemed to be wearing and again with Bobby beside me we made our way across the room and through a door. Now I remembered where I was, hell it had been years ago since I'd been here, so long in fact that I had forgotten all about it. But why were we here and who else was with us? I found myself being lowered onto a chair and a strong hot coffee put into my hands. Looking around I could see we were now on an open porch and that Santos was sat next to Steph with Jay on her other side, Ram and Hector sat opposite me and Bobby came with his coffee to sit next to me. Everyone was so quiet it seemed surreal.

"Okay so what the hell happened?"  
"You up for this Ranger, you've only just woken up"  
I'm sure the look I gave Santos gave him my answer.

"Well when that door shut I heard a locking mechanism slide across and I couldn't open it. I knew then something was hinkey so I broke protocol and radioed the rest of the team. Tank and Cal found the whole place was empty so we knew then it was a trap. Jay got worried about them using remotes so as soon as that chat with Carrigan finished he jammed everything for a three-mile radius. The room underneath you was quite small but there was a warehouse area under that so we rigged the floors. We knew where you were from using infrared so as those devises were about to blow we blew circles in the floors below you. Cal and Ram had set up the bag below for you to land on so that's how we got you out"

"How the hell you both managed to land so softly is probably because you were so tightly wrapped together and were unconscious"  
Well that explained how we got out but why were we here and why did I feel like shit? I turned to Jay as he carried on the conversation.

"Not all of the devises went off, and on those that did only the timed incendiary part blew but it sure took out the top of the building, problem was what else was inside. They're using materials and putting together small nuclear devises, alarms went off for radiation, so we had to mask up and get rid of rid of any clothes we were wearing to be sure we didn't have any contamination on us"  
Bobby was the next to add to the explanation.

"You became very agitated to say the say the least, I had to sedate the pair of you so we could get clear and be sure no one was affected"  
"Why here?"  
I could see that Steph was totally overwhelmed by what they'd just said so at least if she knew where we were she might feel more settled and safe.

"Last place anyone would even consider we'd be"  
"Where is here?"  
"Beautiful you are on an island off Central America"

I saw her eyes get wide and the way she looked around, it was probably still early morning so still moderately cool, at least for where we were.

"You mean I slept through another helicopter ride?"  
"Paladin I'll keep my promise and take you up when you're awake"  
The light humor seemed to set her at ease but I knew she would have lots of questions and so did I.

"Jay the devises that he set up?"  
"Miniaturized nuclear weapons that are smaller, lighter and easier to transport and hide. I found particles of deuterium, and tritium, with helium. I don't know how the hell they managed it but when you combine the deuterium and tritium they form a lighter atom of helium, nuclear fusion, and that produces a hell of lot of energy and neutrons"

"Neutrons?"

I knew the effect of exposure to neutrons could be lethal, had we managed to stay away from it?

"Ranger I detected it, the two concrete floors shielded us and we're talking about low numbers they weren't there in high numbers, plus not all of the devises enabled the fusion to happen, he has the ideas and maybe the technology to build these things but he still hasn't got the mechanics worked out yet, I suspect he's still struggling to get the ignition temperature right"  
"So what do people think happened then?"  
"Well I tapped into a camera further away that was transmitting and it caught the whole explosion, I shut it down to make it look like the explosion got to it so we could move in and around the site, Santos?"

"Tank's back in Trenton and has raised hell with Ramos and Jemerez, Ramos hasn't been seen anywhere but Jemerez is shitting bricks. He said a car came to pick him up and there was Grizoli and Granaldy with him, they were told they were being taken to Bordertown but ended up somewhere near Hamilton where they were shown into a room at the back of a restaurant where Harry and Ramos were waiting. They were shown the video of you and Beautiful but some parts had been blanked out. He finished with the building exploding and a warning that they were next"  
"So everyone thinks that Steph and I are dead?"  
"The main players do, talk in town is that the two of you went away together"  
"The parts dubbed out?"  
"Did you refer to Carrigan by name?"

"Yes, so he still thinks no one knows who he is"

"We need to find this SOB and get rid of him and all the research and technology he has"

I sat back and rested my head against the back of the chair, closing my eyes, trying to think. We were always one step behind him, how the hell did we get ahead of him and put a stop to what he was doing? I felt the men leaving and then the dip of the chair as Steph moved in, without opening my eyes I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to my side.

"Are you okay?"  
"Yes, just thinking"

"How do we get ahead of him and find him?"  
"Go back to the beginning"

I opened my eyes and looked at her, what was she thinking because it sure looked like she had an idea.

"Go on"  
"We go pay a visit to his wife"  
"Is she sane?"

"The medical records just said she was a recluse and in a residential facility"

"Where is she?"

"I can't remember now, not local, I'd need the research I had"

We each fell into a comfortable silence I for one was just savoring her closeness to me and thanking god that we had come out of that building alive and unhurt, that must have been one hell of an operation the men put together in such a short time, they really were the best of the best and I felt so lucky and humbled that their actions had saved us. We stayed there for at least an hour before we were interrupted by Santos and Jay; carrying a tray of food and cool drinks.

"Thanks guys this looks amazing"  
As usual Steph could always find a positive thing to say even though the food was simple, bread and cheese with fresh fruit, she managed to get both of the men to smile back at her.

"Beautiful I know you, you're hatching something aren't you?"  
"Who, me?"  
"Yeah, you get this glint in your eyes and a small smile on your face, spill it"

"Well I thought if we paid a visit to Carrigan's wife she might know something, maybe even give us an idea of why he's doing it"  
"It's worth a shot, you want me to go?"  
"No, I think she'd talk to me"  
"Ranger?"  
"Find out where she is from Tank and then we'll decide"  
"Okay, he should be talking to us soon, Hector has done a lot to make Rangeman invincible in terms of hacking and access but Tanks gonna use a SAT phone from another location with Hector bouncing it around the world a few times"  
"When?"  
"An hour"

"I'm gonna get a wash and freshen up, see if I can find some clothes"  
I looked at what she was wearing and only noticed that she had on a very large T-shirt that seemed to go down to her knees, hell, I hoped she had something else on underneath it. Santos laughed as he watched me watching her.

"Sorry but we don't really have anything here for her to wear, we only had what was on the helicopter and what we found here"  
"She'll manage, is it still as primitive as when we were last here?"

"Afraid so, at least no one has found the place"  
I remembered when we had first come across this place, it was years ago and we'd been in Belize doing training with soldiers from the British army. I'd liked the feel of Belize, the locals spoke English and there was a laid back feel to the place but I still had a preference for somewhere totally isolated so I'd kept my eyes open for anything coming up for sale and at the time when this island came up I could just about afford it. It was totally undeveloped and a few of us had spent some time building the cabin from wood on the island. Then we'd brought out essentials over a few years. Once I finished with the regular army I'd been too pre occupied with finding a niche for myself in civilian life and I totally forgot about it, I mean why would I come to a place like this when I was so busy setting up Rangeman and when I could afford the luxuries of hotels, plus there was this curly haired brunette I needed to keep an eye on. Now that I had finished with the government contract and had enough money maybe it was time to add some better facilities. I wasn't too sure how Steph was coping being here, the water we used was re routed from a spring we'd discovered, into a holding tank but there was no hot water as such and there were only three rooms in the place, the toilet and wash area had been added on as an after thought. I saw her come back through the door and laughed at what she was wearing, I couldn't knock her for using her imagination.

"What, it was all I could come up with"

"Actually it looks kinda sexy"  
She'd obviously found an old pair of joggers, probably Tanks, and had cut across the leg and cuff to form a tube of material which she had then used as a dress, it still made me wonder what she had underneath, there was certainly no evidence of a bra.

"So this place, who does it belong to?"

"Me"  
"You!"

"Yeah I bought it years ago when it was really cheap, there's nothing here other than this cabin and as you know the facilities are a bit crude"  
"I like it"  
I looked at her totally at a loss at to what to say I had never thought she would say she liked the place.

"Don't get me wrong I got Lester to clear the room I slept in of bugs and I suppose because it gets hot the water isn't freezing, it's quite refreshing really, though washing my hair is a bit of a marathon but Jay just empties buckets over it outside to get the soap out"

"Why don't I show you around after we talk to Tank, though you'll need some sun cream on, maybe we have some somewhere"  
I got up feeling easier than I had before, my muscles seemed to have warmed up and I didn't feel as achy as I had before, it was then that I noticed the bruises on Steph's arms and legs and bringing her closer placed kisses on them.

"They're okay and the aching has gone, you're in a far worse state than me"

As we went inside I could here the voice of Tank coming from the phone and we went and sat down next to Santos.

"Real quiet here though, how's the boss doing?"  
"I'm here Tank, doing fine"  
"Well thank god for that, we thought you and Little Girl were gonna be banged up real bad"

"Any news from the street?"  
"No, Hector's been asking around, I'd say people are running scared, there's even mention of most of the bosses relocating"  
"That won't stop Carrigan"  
"No, Ramos flew out the day of the explosion, Harry and Granaldy have left town leaving Grizoli and Jemerez"

"Grizoli is too stubborn to think he can be out smarted and Jemerez has too much to lose if he leaves"

"Yeah I agree, otherwise everything is quiet, I put the word out that you and Steph were out of town so anyone she knows seems happy with that"  
"I need you to go into Steph's search on Carrigan's wife, find out where she is and any updates on her"  
"You think he might be there?"  
"Not sure but Steph thinks that maybe talking to her would give us some answers"

"I'll send it to Jay, safer that way"  
We disconnected after that, sticking to an unspoken rule of only having five minutes to ensure security and then I decided that maybe I needed to wash and find some clothes as well.

As I came out onto the porch Steph was sat looking out into the distance but she heard me come out and turned and smiled.

"You ready to play tour guide?"  
"Yes, what about your feet?"  
"I'll manage"  
She probably would as most of the tracks were sand and we wouldn't be going very far. Taking her hand we walked down the steps and then followed a single track through the trees, it winded its way down a slight incline until the trees receded behind us and we had to climb a small sand dune. Once at the top she stopped still, looking out at the view, it was an amazing place and now I was looking at it I again appreciated it far more than I had when I was younger. We were looking down into a small cove with rocky outcrops at both ends and an expanse of white sand lapped by waves coming from an expanse of turquoise.

"It's beautiful"  
With that statement she was down the dunes and heading for the water while I walked slowly behind her, she was like a kid who'd never been at the seaside before, running and splashing in the water but keeping a constant eye on me. She didn't go in far but when I eventually caught up with her she was soaking wet. Taking her hand we walked to the far end of the cove, in the water of course and then made out way back to the center where she just sat down on the sand her feet just being touched by the waves. Her cheeks were red and her eyes sparkled a breeze lifting her hair around her face, she looked like an angel with the sun settling on her. I couldn't help myself as I moved in front of her, I didn't care if I got wet, I needed to wrap my arms around her just to make sure she was really here with me. With my face by the side of hers I drank up her smell and the feel of her.

"Babe, I don't ever want to be without you"  
"I know, I was so scared in that building, but I wouldn't have survived if anything had happened to you"  
"Marry me Babe, when this is over, marry me and be with me forever"  
"Is this the right place and the right time Mr Manoso?"  
"It's the perfect place at the perfect time"  
"Yes, I'll marry you, but even if we didn't I would never want to be away from you"  
There was no need for any more words, and I let my actions show her that, I took her head into one hand with the other around her hips and brought my mouth to hers, I needed her so badly and I really didn't care where we were and it seemed neither did she as she slid her hands around and down my back, teasing and tormenting with her hands in the same way her tongue was teasing and tormenting my mouth. I lifted her onto my knees and slid my hands below the hem of the dress surprised when there was nothing there to act as a barrier to her skin, and in that moment her hand had pulled down the front of the board shorts I was wearing, slowly caressing my shaft and balls. As my hand went to her curls and folds I groaned at how wet she was for me and lifted her slowly to allow me entry. All the time I had focused my mouth on hers, but now I inched her dress down to reveal her beautiful pert breasts, laving at each nipple one at a time feeling them harden to hard points. Her movement increased as she ground herself against me and I knew she was about to come, I felt her hands at my nipples tweaking them and then all I could do was to hold her firmly as an orgasm shot through me, amplified by the tightening of her muscles around me, there were no screams only the sound of our moans and the waves lapping around us.

"I love you Carlos"  
"Te amo querida"  
"Shit we're in the middle of the beach"  
"There's no one here to see us"  
"But Lester or Jay or"  
"Babe, don't worry'

I stood taking her with me, still inside of her and walked out through the waves into deeper water and proceeded to show her just how much I loved her.

We spent the day by the beach though I made sure we were under the shade of some trees whenever possible, the sun was stronger here than Steph would think. I'd been back to the cabin to collect some water and more bread, cheese and fruit so it was as the sun was disappearing that we eventually decided to make our way back. I felt relaxed and happy as we walked back but knew soon enough we'd have to get back to planning our next move. We timed it just right as Bobby was putting a meal on the table, rice and vegetables with some fruit no doubt growing here, it was simple but tasty and after tidying up we spent the evening reminiscing about our adventures on the island. I noticed that Steph was becoming quieter and as she snuggled against me she eventually fell asleep so carefully I took her into the back room gently undressing her. As I looked down at her body I was sobered by the bruises I saw there, was I the same? I didn't know and for me it didn't matter but it mattered that the man responsible for those marks was still out there, bringing a sheet to cover her up I returned to join the men on the porch.

"I hope you checked the room out for bugs, she wasn't happy to be sharing it the first night she was aware of being here"  
"No, she's fast asleep"  
"She okay?"  
"Seems to be"  
"I really don't know how the pair of you managed to get out of there with so few injuries"

"I saw the bruises on her"  
"Yeah, your vest protected her to some extent and with you close together you protected each other but your back was open to flying debris"  
"Santos I know this seems late in asking but just how long have we been here?"  
"Three days since the accident"  
"I was out for two days?"  
"Yeah, you got caught on the head that knocked you out but then you were, err, difficult to manage, so I used a sedative. You actually slept for longer than I thought"  
"Was Steph out cold as well?"  
"To start with but then she was calmer, she spent all day yesterday laid on the bed with you"

"Have you heard from Tank Jay?"  
"Yes, the wife is in a facility near Coosada, north of Montgomery in Alabama"

"Any idea why there and not closer to home?"  
"No, none"  
"I need to work out a way of travelling with Steph"  
"You've got the Pardo ID"  
"Yes Santos I have, but I'll need to do some changes to our appearance"  
"I could fly the two of you to the Miami office"  
"That would work, I'm sure we can get sorted out there and then drive up to Montgomery"  
"When do you want to go?"  
"Can you give Steph some daylight for the flight?"  
He laughed as he remembered the promise he'd given her and to be honest I would need for her to be in a good mood for what I proposed. I said my goodnights to the men and went to curl up with Steph, tomorrow we had work to do to prepare for the next stage of our journey.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

I was laid on my back with only one reason for this position, I let my guard down, but come on, I was stood on the roof at Rangeman Miami having just got down from the helicopter and was waiting for Steph to finish her thanks to Jay for an amazing flight. I even had a half smile on my face much to the amusement of the team based here, I just never expected her to literally jump at me with her legs and arms around me throwing me totally off balance. I looked up from the floor and could see the tears start to form in her eyes.

"Oh god I'm so sorry, I just expected you to catch me, say something please"

"I love you Babe"  
Her face came down to mine and she kissed me on the lips.

"I love you too"

"Now we need to explain to these men who you are and how the hell you managed to get me flat on my back"  
"Shit, I never thought of that"  
I felt her being lifted from me and looked at Jay's smiling face and then as quickly as I could got onto my feet. Mateo and Diego were stood waiting for us and I could see they were trying very hard not to laugh, I took Steph's hand and drew her to my side before standing in front of them.  
"Gentlemen may I introduce Miss Stephanie Plum. Steph this is Mateo and Diego"  
Diego nodded his head at Steph but Mateo took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"It is a great pleasure to finally meet you, now I can understand what just happened, they always said you were a phenomenon that could bowl you over"

"Really?"  
"Mateo don't you think we should move from the roof"

"Sorry Carlos, I just wasn't expecting Miss Plum to be with you"

"Are you at level 1"  
He turned at that and was immediately serious.

"Yes, though no one explained why, only that your arrival here had to be kept quiet, only Diego and myself know you've arrived, cameras are jammed and everything Lester asked for has been arranged"  
"Thanks Mateo, has Mia left us something to eat?"

As I spoke to Mateo I could see him looking at Steph from her head to her toes, okay I know she was wearing another tube for a dress but it wasn't out of place for Miami. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and glared at Mateo, fortunately he took the hint as we walked down the stairs and entered the penthouse apartment.

"I'll leave you here Carlos, cameras will be back on in a minute so don't go walking about, see you in the morning"  
I'm sure I breathed out a sigh of relief as he closed the door and left us alone, Steph was walking into the kitchen obviously intrigued with the set up here.

"This is weird, it's almost the same as Trenton but maybe bigger, more like Boston"  
She walked through to the lounge and stood looking through the floor to ceiling window.

"Wow what a view"

I stood behind her my hands round her waist as we both looked out.  
"You like it here then?"  
"It looks real pretty from here"  
"Next time we come here I'll take you around"  
"Where you grew up?"  
"Yeah I'd like to do that"  
"Okay I really, really want a proper shower"  
"We have the first bedroom, there're are clothes in the closet"

"Oh?"  
"Mia, she Ella's sister, so they organized clothes between them"  
I followed Steph into the corridor but then went to the second bedroom, that was the main difference between the apartment here and Trenton, an extra bedroom should Julie decide she wanted to stay. I used the shower and had to agree with Steph a proper shower felt so good and as in all my apartments there was a supply of Bulgari. Once dried and dressed in cargos and a T-shirt I went through to the kitchen to see what Mia had left for us.

"Something smells nice"  
I turned from the microwave to see Steph stood by the door, she had on a sexy silk top and shorts that left nothing to the imagination and her hair was falling in curls around her face. I literally stood still just looking at her.

"Oh no you don't I'm hungry"  
"So am I Babe"  
She laughed and came over to me standing right in front of me, dam I couldn't do anything while holding a hot dish in my hands. I watched as she leaned past me and took out dishes from the cupboard and turned away to place them on the kitchen bar, the moment was broken so I followed putting the pot down.

"What is it?"  
"Fricasé de Pollo, chicken with vegetables and spices"  
I watched as she ate and listened to noises she made as she savored the taste, was she doing this on purpose to get me worked up? I always said she held all the power but she didn't realize it, or did she?

We cleared away the dishes together and then as I made my way to the lounge she pulled me toward the bedroom, who was I to ignore an invitation like that because after the morning she may not even be talking to me.

I had decided to spend my time in the second bedroom while Steph was being seen to, she was still talking to me, only because she was so tired this morning I wasn't sure she was fully awake. By lunchtime I wanted to be on the road and heading up to Montgomery, I'd booked ahead a hotel for en route and kept an open reservation at one just north of Montgomery. As I turned to the mirror I looked critically at my reflection, I didn't know whether to be pleased or not, anyone who knew me I'm sure would recognize me but I wasn't planning on that. My hair had been cut short and as I hadn't shaved since the accident I now had a neatly trimmed beard, to finish the look were black-framed glasses with plain glass as the lenses. I finished with my tie and put on a jacket to match the trousers and then picked up the small suitcase that had clothes for travelling with, of course I still had a gun at my back and one at my ankle with a knife in my boots. I had to wait in the lounge to see what the results would be for Steph. As Mia came out of the room she did a double take and then came up to me smiling.

"You are still so handsome Carlos, you can't cover that up. She looks beautiful. Good luck with whatever you are doing and be safe"

I turned as movement caught my eye and looked at the woman in the doorway, dressed in a cream dress that came to just above her knee but it couldn't hide the curves that I knew so well. Her hair had been straightened and cut in a style that framed her face but went down to her shoulders, blonde highlights emphasized the cut but what I really missed was seeing her blue eyes. Instead looking at me were dark brown ones, but there was still the hint of a sparkle in them. She walked toward me looking me up and down and stopped with her arms around my neck.

"You are still a sexy man Mr Pardo"  
"You are still a sexy woman Mrs. Pardo"  
"Do you think this will work?"  
"You still look like my Babe to me, but I'm sure no one would recognize you"  
"It feels weird but I actually like the look and maybe I can keep it afterwards"

"Babe I miss your eyes"  
"Yeah I know, it takes a bit of getting used to"  
"You ready to go?"  
"Yeah, my bag's at the door"  
"You dressed?"  
She hitched the skirt up to her thigh to show me the gun strapped into her thigh holster; hell it looked as sexy as hell.

"Maybe I should help undress you tonight"

I took a box out of my pocket and then looked at her.

"Babe this isn't the ring I have for you, that's locked up in the safe at Trenton on seven, but you'll need to wear these"

I took out a wedding band and ring that looped together once on the finger, the ring had three simple diamond stones set across at an angle, where the band interlocked with it. I placed the rings on her finger and then kissed where they were watching her face as I did it.

"These are beautiful"  
"Not as beautiful as you"  
With her hand in mine we took the lift directly to the garage where Mateo was waiting for us.

"You two take care of each other, be safe and I'll see you soon"

The car Santos had arranged for us was a rental from the airport that had been picked up the day before, it maybe wasn't what I would have chosen but it suited the image for Marc Pardo, a dark grey BMW 8 series, a man who had an import business for antiquities. It drove well and was comfortable, Steph seemed happy with it, but I suppose compared to her POS cars anything would be. The driving was easy and I made sure that I constantly had Steph's hand in mine though I was probably still too quiet for her, but with music on in the background it was a comfortable silence. The total journey would take about ten hours to get to Montgomery but I'd broken up the trip by planning a stop over in Crystal River at an old planation house on the river. We could relax for a few hours before dinner and feel refreshed for the following morning.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

By early afternoon the next day we were sat outside the residential facility where Carrigan's wife, Rita, was living, Tank had got Ella involved as someone who would be better at talking with the staff and she had developed a good rapport with one particular nurse who often cared for Rita, Nurse Metcalf. I was surprised that Rita had no visitors and not because she refused to have them, it seemed her family and even her husband had abandoned her. The nurse wasn't sure about Steph's visit, Rita hadn't been seen by more than a handful of staff while she'd been here due to her resistance of people seeing the scars on her face. The arrangement was for Steph to meet with the nurse and take it from there, she would be using a digital recorder in her pocket to record the conversation and if needed she had a panic button that switched on when it was activated and alerted me.

"You okay doing this Babe?"  
"Yes, I just don't know what to expect"  
"Try not to let her get to you, you can't do anything to help her, she's well looked after and living her life how she feels comfortable"  
"I know"  
"Be careful, I'll be right here waiting for you"

I leaned over and kissed her gently before she got out of the car and started to walk up the drive toward the house. Ella had arranged for the nurse to meet with Steph there and then depending on how Rita was feeling she would take Steph to the small bungalow where Rita lived. Rita lived on her own and independently, staff supported her when she asked and ensured that she had everything she needed, Rita relied on them for all of her shopping needs. Nurse Metcalf was probably the only person who saw Rita regularly providing the medication that Rita relied on. I sat quietly and waited after all that was what I could do, I'd spent many hours during missions waiting for the ideal moment for something to happen, keeping perfectly still and calming myself I could heighten my senses to be very aware of my surroundings. I knew Steph hated it whenever she'd done surveillance with me, she just couldn't not talk and as for her staying still; that was something she didn't do even when she slept. The fact that she didn't immediately return was a good sign and as the minutes passed into an hour I felt positive that she had gained access to Rita, it was now down to how well Steph could gain her confidence but if anyone could do it I knew it was Steph, she had a way, a personality that endeared people to her. We'd talked at length last night and then again this morning as to what she could say and in the end we both agreed that the truth was the only way to go, maybe hearing what had happened to Steph in the last few weeks might hit a chord with Rita, we just didn't know. After two hours I must admit I was beginning to worry, was Steph all right, had something happened and I was almost ready to head up to the house when I saw her walking quickly down the drive towards me, as she came closer I could see the tears streaming down her face, something I had never taken into consideration was how that meeting would affect her emotionally. I quickly opened the door and met her, taking her weight as she flung herself toward me, her body was shaking and she looked to be too upset to talk.

"Babe, it's okay, I'm here for you"  
"Don't let me go"  
"Never"  
"Even if I got injured badly?"  
"No Babe, I will never abandon you, I will always be at your side"  
She handed me the recorder from her pocket and looked up at me with her blue eyes, for some reason she'd taken out the contact lenses.

"Can we go to the hotel, I don't want to listen to this again"  
I nodded my head and then led her to her door, making sure the seat belt was fastened before getting into the drivers seat and heading for the hotel. This time my focus was split between the road and Steph, her head was lent back against the headrest, her eyes closed and her fists clenched tightly together. She was hurting in a way I couldn't imagine and I couldn't do anything about it, I could only listen to the recording and then try to work out how to help her. Once we were inside the suite of rooms I took care of my Babe, I led her to the shower and gently washed her down and toweled her dry, she hadn't said anything and that worried me, was she in shock? I gently laid her in the bed with the cover over her.  
"Babe can you rest?"  
A nod of her head was all I got, so with her tucked up to my side and my arm around her shoulder I let her take her strength from me. Once I was sure she was asleep I took out the recorder and connected the ear buds so as not to wake her or allow her to hear, then started to listen to the recording.

"How should I address her?"  
"Only use the name Rita, she won't have her married name mentioned and can be abusive if she hears it"  
"So once inside and sat down I have to wear the blindfold?"  
"Yes, she won't let people see her"  
"Have you seen her?"  
"A few times when I've had to treat her, we can't do anything about the open wounds and sometimes they get infected and need treatment. Usually she would wear a mask but her face is particularly sore at the moment and it aggravates the wounds"

I heard a door open and the sound of walking over a wooden floor and then what could have been Steph sitting down. There were a few moments of silence until less defined footsteps could be heard, I could hear Steph's breathing increase, being blindfolded wouldn't have been easy for her to control her fear of the dark, shit why had I let her do this?  
"Child you're shaking, are you afraid of me?"  
"No, no it's the dark, I'm afraid of being in the dark"  
"Why would you be affected by the dark?"  
"I've been locked up in the dark, so the dark and unknown make me scared"

"Why on earth would someone do that?"  
"They wanted to hurt me, but they weren't the only ones"  
"What did you do for that to happen?"  
"I'm an apprehension agent"  
"Ah, I understand now. What do you want from me?"  
"Your help"  
"And why should I help you?"  
"Someone is trying to hurt me"

I could hear from the way Steph had lowered her voice and the hitch that could only be caused from her crying.

"How"  
"Sorry?"  
"How has someone tried to kill you?"  
"He locked me in a room with bombs inside"

"Do you think you could bare to look at me?"  
"I think so"  
"I'm not a pretty sight"  
"You may have heard the saying "beauty is only skin-deep," it's what's on the inside that defines the character and the beauty of your soul, that has more meaning for me"

"Open your eyes child and let's see if you truly believe in what you say"  
I heard the rustle of material so assumed Steph was removing her blindfold, she didn't make a sound and from what I could tell her breathing was slowing down.

"I'm sorry"  
"For what?"  
"Breaking your rule for who may look at you"  
I heard a laugh that I assumed was Rita.

"Your eyes don't look right, are you wearing contact lenses?"  
"Yes"  
"Why?"  
"The man trying to kill me thinks I'm dead so I had to change my appearance"  
"Take them out, there's a saying "The eyes are the windows to the soul" the eyes give insight into the inner world of feelings and thoughts, so I want to look into your eyes and get an idea of who you are"

Another moment of silence that I assumed was Steph removing the contact lenses and then Rita continued the conversation.

"You have beautiful blue eyes, your face and eyes are so expressive, you're afraid but not of me"  
"No not of you"  
"You must think I can help you then?"  
"Yes, but I don't want to cause you any pain"  
"Pain, you don't know what that means"  
"I do, I'm not talking about physical but emotional pain"

"Ah I see, you love someone and are afraid to lose him"  
"Yes"

"I loved and lost, but he only saw the beauty on the outside, after the accident I lost everything, our child and his love"  
"Then he wasn't good enough for you"  
"I know that now but it's taken years for me to see it. What do you want from me?"  
"You know the man who wants to hurt me and destroy my love"  
Again there was a silence and I presumed , or at least hoped, that Rita would at least have some humanity left in her to maybe right some wrongs, if not for her then at least for Steph.

"You ask a great deal from me, but you have been the first person in a long time who has made me feel human again, that maybe part of my moving on is being able to help you"  
"Thank you Rita"

"Don't thank me yet, so I assume it is that wretched husband of mine that's to blame"  
"I think he's trying to get revenge for what happened to you"  
"The accident that did this to me?"  
"Yes"  
"But that's what it was, an accident"  
"It doesn't stop him from wanting to kill people and take what he thinks he deserves"

"I'm not sure how I can help you, he hasn't spoken to me for years, he abandoned me"  
"I won't do that to you"  
"I may hold you to that child"  
Steph laughed at that and I felt that she had made a friend of the woman, though I wasn't sure what Steph could do to show that she wouldn't abandon Rita.

"Tell me your story"

"From when I met him?"  
"Yes, I'm from the Burg and in some ways an outcast, not really belonging but being owned by the way people treat you"  
"So we are more alike than I thought"  
"Yes"  
"Well my parents were traditional Italians, my mother, probably like yours thought she could manipulate me to conform to being the Burg wife married to a Burg Italian man. In the end she sent me away to a private school, where she thought I'd learn to behave. It didn't go as she planned because the girls there were just like me, we'd head up to New York and hit the clubs and that's where I met Carry, he was so handsome and such a gentleman, he swept me off my feet. I know now I never really knew him, I was besotted by him and he covered his true character from me. But I was young and when my parents disapproved of our relationship I didn't care, we eloped and I returned married, there was nothing she could do about it and certainly not if she wanted the Burg to keep her within it's incestuous family. My sister met what my mother deemed to be a nice Italian boy and married him, but mother didn't know what he was really doing and to some extent neither did my sister. Carry was working a lot away from home so I spent a lot of time with my sister, she was pregnant and I realized I was as well, though Carry didn't know. We went to a warehouse over in Bordertown one afternoon, my sister had found out she was expecting a daughter and wanted to surprise her husband so I'd gone with her. When we got there, there were more cars than usual but we couldn't find anyone so we each went a different way to look around. I heard voices and mindful that a woman wasn't privy to the goings on of the men, I found a place to hide and listen in. I knew who they were, Vito, my uncle and Harry, Ramos the foreigner and a black man and of course Granaldy. But there was another man there, not my sisters husband though, my husband. They were all facing an older man and they were shouting and arguing about the amount of money he took when they seemed to do all the work. At first I didn't see the big men behind him, both carrying guns. They were arguing that each of them should be allowed to go their own way and set up their own business, but he was shouting about loyalty and power in numbers, he said he didn't take a cut, whatever that meant. I'm sorry I need to get a drink of water"  
I heard the sound of footsteps retreating from the room and what had to be Steph blowing her nose, another sound had Steph responding.

"Thank you Rita"  
"Where was I?"  
"You said you heard the men arguing"  
"Oh yes, well I couldn't believe that Carry was there let alone involved and when he sided with the older man all hell let loose"  
"Do you know who the older man was?"  
"No not really but I think Vito called him Jimmy. Every one of them had a gun but there was still a lot of talking, I think Carry was getting annoyed because that man Jimmy suddenly started on him. I don't know who fired first but everyone seemed to take cover and that's when it happened, I panicked you see, and tried to get away from there but I must have made a noise and someone fired at me and hit this big tank next to me. All I remember is the noise and then so much pain. When I came too I was here, he said the doctors had to keep me in a coma to stabilize me, he was so angry at me, he said it was my own fault and I haven't seen him for all these years, and well there was something else"  
"Rita what was it, I know it's painful to talk, but please it may be helpful"  
"I think I had that baby"  
"What, how?"  
"I'd had surgery and he said that the chemicals had caused me to miscarry but there were complications so the doctors had to remove my womb"  
"Could that be true?"  
"I suppose but I just feel that I have a child out there somewhere and he took it from me and then abandoned me, I think the doctors told him I would die from the trauma"  
"Oh Rita I'm so sorry"  
"Shush child, it's not your fault, he said I was no good to him any more and he didn't love me, that's why I stayed here and I suppose I became so wrapped up in my own misery I didn't want anything to do with the outside world"  
"What would you want to do now?"  
"To know my who my child is and I suppose if I could get hold of Carry's money I'd have the plastic surgery done"

"I thought the doctors did what they could?"  
"No, Carry stopped the payments"  
"So how are you still here?"  
"This place is a charitable Trust so I have one of the few places available through that"  
"Thank you for talking to me Rita, I'll do everything I can"  
"You need to go now, I'm tired and sore"  
I heard the rustle of clothes and the sound seemed to break up, maybe Rita had come over to Steph and embraced her.

"Be sure he . . . . . you, and don't let . . . . . . . away, I feel it . . . . . .you . . . . . let him . . . .you"

I had absolutely no idea what Rita had just said to Steph and for some reason I didn't think she'd say, was it something important or was it something that was said that had Steph so upset? I placed the recorder by the side of the bed and seeing Steph still fast asleep decided to shower and change and maybe organize something for us to eat. I'd just turned off the water and was reaching for the towel when I heard a voice, a low voice, almost a whisper and immediately headed to where it had come from my gun in my hand ready for anything. It didn't take me long to realize that the voice was coming from Steph, she was laid on her back shaking her head and had tears running down from her eyes.

"Please you can't leave me here, please don't, you can't do that, why would you do that?"  
I was quickly by her side and rolled her up against me, holding her tightly in my arms, trying not to hurt her as she struggled.

"Babe, it's me, I'm here with you and I will never leave you, I promise"

"Don't do it, please you can't"  
"Shush Babe, te amo querida, remember that I will never do anything to hurt you"

Slowly the nightmare began to subside, she was carrying around what Rita had said, why did I let her go in on her own. Did she think I would leave her? Because I could never do that, she was my other half and I couldn't envisage a life without her in it. As Steph slowly settled back into a deeper sleep I was thinking about what Rita had said, and why Carrigan was at that meeting, was he working with Jimmy because Jimmy seemed to hold the most say over the others or was he acting as a go between? Was he getting revenge for what had happened to Rita, surely then he wouldn't have just left her to fend on her own, and did she have that child and if so was that who Casper was, the child that Rita had carried? Had Carrigan just kept her in a coma until the child was developed enough to be born and had the doctors actually done anything to properly treat her wounds or had they just kept her alive and in a coma? I also wondered if Carrigan knew that Rita was still alive? Maybe I should move her to a hospital who could help her and at the same time keep her safe, that was something maybe I could talk through with Steph, I knew a few doctors who specialized in treating burns and performing plastic surgery, they'd help out.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

When morning came I was surprised that I had fallen to sleep after Steph's nightmare, maybe I was more tired than I thought, I turned my head and looked down at Steph as she slept next to me. Even now she was moving, her leg was flexing and her hand was moving against my chest. I ran my hand through her hair; I really missed the curls, and found myself looking into her eyes.

"Morning Babe, you okay now?"  
"Yeah, I just got so upset with what happened yesterday"  
"I know Babe and I should never have let you go in alone"  
"No, she wouldn't have talked with you there"  
"I can't imagine someone doing that to her"  
"Me neither"

"Do you want to talk about it?"  
"No, have you listened to the recording?"

"Yes, but it raised a few more questions"  
"Like what?"  
"Do you think he loved her so much that this is revenge for what happened to her?"  
"No, I think he was pissed with her for ruining the meeting"  
"So how was he there?"  
"And why was he there?"

I watched when she went quiet, she was deep in thought to the point that she jumped when I touched her hand.

"You sure you're okay?"  
"Yeah, she got to me, I can't help it"  
With that she suddenly got up from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom, dam it this wasn't good but I'd be dammed if I knew what was bugging her. I pulled on some joggers and finding a menu called down for breakfast to be brought up to the room, maybe some pancakes would help Steph's mood.

There was a knock at the door that had me reaching for my gun, shit even I was feeling on edge, the poor waiter didn't know how close he came to be being beaten up. I thanked him and placed the tray on the table pleased when Steph came in and smiled.

"Something smells good"  
"Just for you babe"  
I watched as she sat down and started to eat the pancakes and even though she had added the syrup she didn't sound as though she were enjoying them, in fact she didn't really eat as much as I would have hoped.

"Babe, talk to me"  
"I don't know what to say"  
"Just tell me what's got you so upset"

"I can't"

I caught her round the shoulders keeping her stood in front of me, aware of the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Babe I love you more than anything else in the world, when you hurt I hurt and you're hurting so please talk to me, tell me what's going on"

"I'm scared"  
"What of?"  
"That you'll leave me like Carrigan did with Rita"  
"Why would you even think that?"  
"She said, oh god, I don't know what to think"  
"Babe she's been on her own for a long time, her idea of love is jaded"

I stood in front of her and kissed her deeply looking into her eyes, did she think I'd leave her?  
"Babe I'm not Carrigan, I love you no matter what.

"But you said you didn't want to be in a relationship"

"Babe that was in another life and I know I fed you excuses, but things have changed, I'm ready for this. Are you?"  
She looked up at me with wide eyes obviously trying to get her head around what I'd said. Her face softened as she looked back at me, hell she was so fragile and most of that was my doing, I would do anything to convince her of how sure I was of her.

"Yes, if I'm with you then I'm ready"  
"Good"

I just held her for what seemed like minutes, it was what she needed, I hadn't realized how affected by Rita's story she had been, though I still felt a tension in her probably due to the situation we were in.

"Babe, what do you want to do next?"  
"Everything we need to know is in Trenton"  
"So we go home"  
"But then Carrigan will know we're alive"

"Not necessarily, if we stay away from Rangeman and any usual haunts, he shouldn't find out"

I knew that it could be dangerous but we couldn't stay incognito for ever, we had a life to live and I wasn't going to let Carrigan take that from us.  
"Babe with the way you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time we'd have to be extra careful"  
"I know, but we have to end this and help Rita" 

In the end we decided to drive up to Trenton, it would take over two days to do but I wanted the time on our own, something that wasn't always possible back home, in fact probably the last time I'd spent this much time in just her company was Hawaii and really we spent most of that time in bed. This was so much different and probably a learning experience for both of us. I felt more relaxed and as we spent so much time sat in the car we talked, a first probably for both of us. I told her about my time growing up and living in Miami, probably glossing over the time in the army though she did seem interested. She was open about her time as a child, jumping off the garage roof though I had to stop the car when she recounted what had happened to her when she was six at the hands of Morelli. It was the second day when she told me and instead of getting back in the car we'd walked, we were passing through one of the forested areas in Virginia, and it helped for me to get past the anger. As we'd stopped to sit down she'd sat in front of me, her back leaning against my chest.

"Promise me you won't get mad again"  
"I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you, hell you were so young"  
"Well when I was sixteen he, err, accosted me in the Tasty Pastry"  
"What happened?"

"He closed the door when he saw I was on my own and started kissing me, I was stupid and I suppose too young and naive to cotton on to what he was doing so before I knew it I was on the floor and he made me have sex with him"  
"Made you, did he rape you?"  
"Well he didn't ask me, it just happened before I could stop him"  
"Oh Babe, the first time should be special"  
"Was it for you?"  
"I suppose not, but the girl was older and definitely more experienced than me, I suppose it should have been but it wasn't"

I went quiet as I remembered that first experience of sex, hell I had no control at all and she'd almost laughed at me, but she was prepared for the repeat performance and taught me a few tricks to make sure she got the most from it.

"I often think of one of the most special times when I was with a woman, I couldn't get enough of her and spent the night. I thought once the sexual tension had gone I'd feel better"  
I could tell she hated me saying that, was I baiting her, possibly because I wanted to hear a similar story from her.

"Yeah, I get that"  
"Oh, and who was that with?"  
She turned and looked up into my face and I knew we were talking about the same night, a deal made by me so that I could move on and forget her, but it totally backfired on me.

"I had an encounter with a man who promised to ruin me for all other men"  
"I had an encounter that ruined me for all other women"  
"I was so scared, I promised myself that it was just sex, but it wasn't and I just wanted more"  
"I'm addicted to you Babe, but Morelli, he really is a piece of shit"  
"I'm sorry"  
"What for?"  
"All of the times I refused you because of him"  
"Why did you keep going back to him?"  
"I don't know, maybe pressure from my mother and I started to believe that he was the only man who would want me and you could be distant and even suggested he was a good man for me"  
"I'm sorry as well, at the time I couldn't handle getting too close to you, I told myself you were too good for me and that knowing me would get you hurt"  
"I think I can do that all on my own"  
"I know, but once I finished with the government contract I could see how good we were together and a feeling so alien to me took on a new perspective, I loved you but didn't acknowledge it"  
"I knew that night you were shot by Scrogg"  
"Why didn't you say so?"  
"And be rejected again, no way was I going to do that, I wanted whatever I could get of you so couldn't chance scaring you off"  
"Te amo querida"  
"Te amo Carlos"

When we returned to the car I felt closer to her than I ever felt possible, but now I really despised Morelli, if I had anything to do with it he would never come near her again and if an opportunity came along I'd see to it that he came down hard. In the end we took three days to travel north to Trenton so it was late at night when we pulled into the drive of a house near Pennington. The house had belonged to an aunt of Celia's husband, they had lived in it for a while and then decided they needed somewhere closer to where they worked, so it was used by family who wanted to visit. As I lifted a sleeping Steph from the car the door of the house opened and Ella stepped out.

"Everything's sorted, use the middle bedroom"  
I followed her through the entrance way to the right and thanked her as she opened the door to the bedroom.

"Clothes are in the closet Carlos"  
Laying Steph on the bed I found one of my T-shirts, not a Rangeman one but a dark blue one, after all I was still Marc Pardo. That she slept through being undressed and put to bed always amazed me and humbled me knowing that she felt safe, so I slipped out of the patio doors that led into a courtyard, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Is she still asleep?"  
"Yes, she's always allowed me to undress her without waking up"  
"She must trust you very much Carlos, I don't want to hear of you pushing her away again"  
"Not going to happen, Tia, I promise"  
"Good to hear"  
"Any news for me?"  
"Lester said he would call in the morning with any updates, otherwise things seem quiet, other than that Morelli making a scene looking for Stephanie"  
"When was that?"  
"The night of that explosion, Cal sorted him out"

I took a drink from the glass of wine on the table in front of me; the courtyard was enclosed, with the bedrooms along one side and the lounge along another with a high stone wall enclosing it. The house was an unusual design built in a U shape making the patio area the center and accessible from most of the rooms, so I felt safe to relax knowing if Steph woke I would hear her.

"I heard from Remmie yesterday"  
"Remmie?"  
"Remmie Metcalf, the nurse at the home, she said Rita was exhausted and a tad depressed after Steph's visit but by yesterday she was actually in higher spirits than she's ever seen her"  
"No mention of other visitors or her contacting anyone?"  
"No, she doesn't have a phone or Internet connection, Remmie downloads things for her onto a laptop when she asks"

"Good because I would always wonder if she was involved with recent events"  
"I suppose that would be possible, she's certainly got cause for revenge, but I think she's been too broken, mentally and physically"  
"Maybe I can do something to help her"  
"She's not your responsibility Carlos"  
"No but she seems like a deserving soul"  
"You're too generous young man"  
I just shrugged my shoulders at that after all I had the money to help and in some ways maybe helping her would cancel out some the horrors that I had been responsible for.

"Would you talk with the nurse and maybe get an idea to see if Rita wanted some treatment, if she does then arrange for her to be seen by Tom and stay at the hospital?"  
"I'll do it, I haven't spoken with Tom for a long time"  
"That means non of us have needed his services"

Tom was a doctor I'd met in the army, he had amazing skills and with some of the injuries soldiers came back with he decided to retrain in plastic surgery when he left, he felt the men had enough to contend with coming home without the scars that a war can do, so for some of his time he devoted his time to soldiers.  
"I need to get going, Louis will wonder where I got to. There's food in the fridge and freezer, anything else you need let me know"

"Thanks Tia"  
"De nada"

I watched as she drove from the drive and then went round the house to make sure it was locked up and secure, with the alarm set I went through our bedroom to get to the bathroom, stopping to stare down at Steph sleeping. She's been much better after that first night, she still moved around and would sometimes talk in her sleep, I could spend hours just watching her sleep, and often had done, for some reason she calmed me. Once I'd showered I slipped into the bed besides her not needing to hide a smile as she automatically moved to sleep over me.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

As I awoke I knew Steph had moved, I couldn't feel her warm body next to me, and for a moment panicked until I heard the sound of her in the bathroom.

"Good you're awake, you must have been really tired because Lester is here"

How the hell had I slept through him coming in?  
"Don't look so worried, he has a key and knows the alarm code, I only knew because I had to get up for the bathroom and needed a drink of water, shit he frightened me to death"  
I saw that she was already dressed in jeans and a thin sweater so made my way to the bathroom collecting a similar wardrobe to hers, my thanks went to Ella for her choices. Once I'd dressed I made my way to the kitchen to find Santos starting the coffee maker and caught the of smell doughnuts that he'd obviously brought with him.

"Santos, next time don't just walk in, you gave Steph a fright"  
"Sorry, but I didn't want to be stood around on the door step"  
I brought out some fruit and yoghurt surprised when Steph ate the same, was she feeling all right?  
"I'll eat them later, Lester help yourself"  
"Thanks Beautiful, I thought you'd never ask"  
Once we'd finished eating and were sat at the table with our coffee I started to get irritated with him.

"Santos are you gonna tell us what's been happening?"

"Not a lot really, Ramos is still out of the country and it seems Harry and Granaldy are on vacation, though it seems business as usual on the streets. Hector has picked up that you and Beautiful died in some accident out of town, though there aren't any details to go with it, seems there's talk of a new enforcer around, but again no real evidence to back it up. Morelli has been hounding us, he wants to know where you are Beautiful, but wouldn't say why, we told him the same as everyone else, that you and Ranger were working out of town"  
"Have you still got eyes on him?"  
"Yeah and he seems to be talking with Vito a lot and meeting up with Terry, though their meeting ended up with a blazing argument, him accusing Terry that it was all her fault. Not sure what he was referring to though"  
"What about Jemerez?"  
"Locked himself up in his warehouse"

"What else?"  
"That house, Seraphic on Back Creek Road, it's up for sale so we took a tour inside, nothing to find, it had been cleared out but the agent said it was part of the estate from someone who'd died recently. Hector did some digging at their office and it seems it belonged to Jimmy Colowski"

"Any sign of Casper?"  
"Sorry Beautiful but no, we haven't seen or heard of anything that would lead us to Casper or Carrigan"  
"How about you put surveillance on Terry?"  
"Could try but she's always with bodyguards"  
"I have an idea"  
I turned and looked at Steph, she'd stood up from the table and was slowly walking back and forth, she turned to Lester with a pleading look on her face, she was after something and thought it would be easier to get it from Lester than me.

"I need to go to Rangeman and run a search"  
"Babe, that 's too dangerous"  
"Not if I go in with Lester"  
"What are you thinking Beautiful?"  
"Well if someone saw you with me and we went to your apartment they wouldn't give us a second look"

"Babe if you go then I do as well"  
"You can't, the men would recognize you straight away and how the hell would Lester explain away bringing in a man?"  
Shit she had me there and I suppose they could get away with it.

"Why not just let Lester do the search?"  
"He doesn't see what I do and follow the same leads"

"I don't like it"  
"Ranger she has a point, I'll keep her safe and get her back here as soon as she's finished"

I suppose I didn't have an argument I could use and had I been able to do something I might have left her here where it was safe.

"Okay but Santos don't let her out of your sight"  
"I'm going to change"  
I watched as she left the room and knew I was glaring at Santos, shit why couldn't she have come up with something that didn't involve her running after ideas. It didn't take long before she was back and I knew as soon as I saw her that her plan could work. She had on a tight leather skirt that hit mid thigh, a pale cream top that showed a cleavage I knew didn't exist. Her hair was brushed into a sleek style but it was her face that threw me, yes she had in the contact lenses but her lips were covered in bright red lipstick in a face covered with makeup, black eyeliner around her eyes and of course the obligatory mascara. She walked up to me and pushed her mouth up to mine, who was I to turn her down and holding her hair in my hand deepened the kiss, our tongues dueling, I'm sure I growled to respond to her moan. A cough behind me pulled me back to where I was and I released her taking in the look she now had. Her hair was tousled and the lipstick smudged, with her red cheeks she had that just fucked look.

"I could have given you that look Beautiful"  
"Only Carlos can do that"  
I smiled as Santos realized she'd used my name, yeah cousin I was serious about her and she was mine, all mine.

I watched as they left realizing I was here on my own for a while, I didn't know when she would be back but I would be here waiting for her. I now needed to do something so changing into gym clothes I went down to the basement to get a good workout, the equipment wasn't brilliant but it did what I needed it to do and after two hours I'd worked at all my muscle groups and was definitely feeling better for it. A long hot shower had me preparing some lunch and as I prepared a salad for one I realized how much I missed not having Steph with me. How sad was that, she'd only been gone a few hours and there were going to be times in the future when we would be working apart. I thought as I ate wondering what line of thought she'd had, maybe I should listen to that recording again.

I heard the sound of a car on the gravel of the drive and looked through the window from the side, gun in hand, pleased to see Santos helping Steph from the car. For once her facial expression didn't give her away and I felt disappointment come to me, at least she had tried and okay maybe we were no further forward but she was safe and at this moment in time that was important. As they came into the lounge she looked at the paper spread around me and there it was, a sparkle in her eyes that said she had indeed managed to uncover something important.

"I thought Tank was gonna throw me out"  
"He saw you?"  
"Yes and once word got round that Lester had brought a woman back I think everyone made some excuse to visit his apartment"  
"Did anyone recognize you?"  
"Ranger I had to put her in the bedroom to work and then make out that we were, you know?"  
"Lester I couldn't concentrate with the noises you were making"  
"Yeah well, of course that didn't put Tank off, he just barged right in, I don't know who was the most surprised"  
"He had a real go at Lester about the noise and then when he saw me sat working on the computer just about went ballistic"  
"It was funny though Beautiful when you told him who you were, I don't think he could see past his anger until you took those lenses out"  
"I would have liked to have seen that"

Tank in rage was not something that happened very often but when it did he could be hell to deal with.

"So Babe tell me what you found out"  
"Okay, the first thing I did was a search for property, but I input the date for when the accident happened and used Rita's name, Rita Harvey, nothing came up and neither did her maiden name. Anyway I started to think about what Rita had said when I saw her and got this idea in my head, I knew you'd think it was a stupid idea but for some reason I started to think about Scrogg"  
"Why him Babe?"  
"Well he wanted to be you and have everything you had so badly he set up an identity using your name, your looks and even found Julie and me"  
"Babe how does that relate to Carrigan?"  
"I think he wanted what Jimmy Colowski had, you know the power and money, and when Tank said that the house on Back Creek Road was being sold and that Jimmy was the owner it just didn't feel right"  
"You think he used Jimmy's name?"  
"Yeah, but I also looked at Jimmy's cause of death, I mean I know he was old but did you know that the coroner decided he'd committed suicide? I mean why would he do that? He was a fit and healthy seventy year old"  
"I didn't know that"  
"I don't think anyone did, I had to make some sneaky calls"  
"Babe did you tell anyone who you were?"  
"No, I gave another name"  
"What name?"  
"Err, Terry Gilman"

Shit, what the hell had she done?

"I called Kelly who works at the coroners office and said I was maybe interested in buying a house that some guy called Jimmy Colowski had owned but then someone said he'd died in the house and well after I said how much that would upset me she pulled up the records and told me he'd actually died in his car, one the same age as Big Blue from carbon monoxide poisoning, but he'd been really drunk"  
"Did she say where the car was found?"

"No but I know who could find out"  
"We'll talk about that later, why do you think his death is suspicious?"  
"Well everyone on the Burg knew he was teetotal"  
Okay that took my temper level down a notch, so where the hell was she going with this?

"Go on"

"I found a house that had Rita's name in the ownership, Rita Colowski. She died and it's now owned by James Colowski"  
"So you think that's where he is?"  
"Yes, but you're not going to believe this. He lives down the road from here"  
I sat down hard on the couch trying to sort through what she had said, had Carrigan killed Jimmy so that he could take over his role with the other bosses? Had that been his plan all those years ago? I looked at Santos who obviously had heard this for the first time as well.

"What now?"

"I don't think the usual surveillance is going to work on him, he'll probably have all sorts of security set up"

"I agree, so how?"

"Err, could Jay maybe use something similar to what Carrigan used on us?"  
"What do you mean Babe?"  
"Well a fly on the wall?"

"Could he do that Ranger?"  
"I don't know, maybe with Hector, but we have to be careful it doesn't attract attention"  
"I'll get back to Rangeman and talk to them"  
"What can we do?"  
"Nothing yet Beautiful, sit tight and I'll get back to you"  
I don't know who was the most pissed off between us, Steph was stood there her mouth open but showing she was so annoyed she couldn't speak. I was pissed of because it seemed I had been cut off from control of what was happening and worst of all I couldn't get out there and do anything. Steph left the room, slamming the doors all the way to the bedroom. Did I leave her alone to calm down or go to her? The latter won so I followed the route she'd taken to find her laid on her side on the bed, punching a pillow but crying at the same time. At least she'd changed out of the leather skirt and top into joggers and a T-shirt.  
"That's not fair he can't fight back"  
"I don't want to punch you"  
"Come with me"  
I took her hand and pulled her to her feet and literally led her down into the basement, She watched as I wound tape around her hands and let me turn her to be standing in front of a punch bag. I saw a faint smile cross her face and watched her attempts, she'd end up hurting herself the way she was punching so I eventually stood behind her and took her arm showing her how to stand and position her wrist and knuckles before stepping back.

"Better, now as your arm extends rotate your body from the back foot"

I watched as her movement started to improve, again correcting her stance slightly.

"Tuck your head in and look at where you want to hit"

As she improved she got faster so I went to stand behind the bag to give her something more solid to hit, I could see her energy draining along with the anger and suddenly she stopped looking at me.

"I'm sorry"  
"What for?"  
"Getting mad"  
"Babe I feel just the same as you do"  
"But you always look so calm"  
"Not always, I do this, beat the crap out of something"

"It works"  
"And now you can punch properly"

"Yeah, but what are we going to do?"  
"Nothing let the men do their job first"

"I still feel like"  
"Babe, I know you and I know you'd like to go snoop around, but doing something like that is what usually gets you into trouble"  
"I know, you're right"

"Come on let me show you how to deflect a punch aimed at you"  
"You're going to punch me?"  
"No, we train by pulling back at the last minute"  
"Okay then"

We spent the next hour with me showing her different techniques, once she got the hang of a move she quickly put it into action, in fact she was probably better at it than she thought. She suddenly stopped and moved up to me, kissing me on the cheek.

"I'm going to shower, thank you for knowing what I needed"

"Always. I'm going to have my turn at beating the shit out of a bag"  
She laughed as she turned and left, yeah I wanted to go with her but I had too much anger inside of me and knew I could end up being too rough with her and the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt her. I spent another hour down there and felt slightly better, but all of the time I was trying to work out how we could get to Carrigan and when we did what I would to do with him.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, watching TV or at one point playing games on the console that Celia's children had left here. We were spoiled for choice for what to eat and agreed on grilled fish, roast vegetables and brown rice; I was pleased at how Steph had changed her eating habits over the last few weeks but then as I watched her fall asleep after the meal was concerned at how tired she always seemed to be, maybe she really did need excessive amounts of sugar to keep up her energy levels. I went through the same routine as the night before making sure that she was fast asleep before sitting out on the patio with a glass of wine, for some reason I wasn't tired and I was also feeling uneasy. I heard the noise of the clicking of the door and then the sound of the alarm being disengaged, I knew Celia hadn't arranged for anyone else to use the house so I slipped into the shadows waiting for who ever it was to make an appearance.

"Evening Ranger"  
"Santos why do you have to break in, I could have shot you"  
"Nah, you're too good to do that, anyway you're also too curious to know why I'm here"  
"You want a drink?"  
"Just soda thanks"  
I fetched a soda from the kitchen and retuned to find Santos quietly closing the door to the bedroom, shit was it something he didn't want Steph to know?

"We hit a stroke of luck for once today, seems we have a couple of accounts on houses down here, so Hector reset some outdoor cameras to pick up traffic passing by"  
"The security still intact?"  
"Yeah we got them covered. Seems like a mutual acquaintance came by here today, Morelli"  
"He went to see Carrigan?"  
"Looks like it, but we don't have footage of him actually going in"  
"I thought we had surveillance on him?"  
"We do, they saw him picking up and dropping off a woman so assumed that's where she lived, and until Beautiful discovered that address it wasn't significant. Once we knew that we upped the surveillance and bugged his car"  
"So he is involved?"  
"With Terry, I'm not sure he knows about Carrigan"  
"Go on"

"They had a pretty heated conversation tonight, seems that Morelli thought he was helping her out. She told him she was acting as go between for her uncle and Jimmy and had gone to meet with Jimmy. She called Morelli when she found him dead in his car and like the dumb ass that he is he covered for her"  
"So you think Terry killed Jimmy?"  
"She could have done and maybe that's why she talked him into the vacation with her"  
"So he wouldn't get suspicious and she had him where she wanted him with her"  
"Yeah, seems though Morelli has heard the talk that Steph's dead so he had it out with her. Thing is she didn't lie about it, told him she was glad Steph was dead because then they could get on with their lives together"  
"He may be stupid but he's always been an honest cop"  
"Problem is she says she's pregnant"  
"I can't see that, Steph said after a miscarriage she couldn't conceive"  
"So he's caught in her trap"  
"Well and truly, talked about him relocating and them moving and he was all in for that"

"So he wasn't annoyed at what she said?"  
"No in fact he said Steph had it coming always sticking her nose in places she didn't belong"

"Could he be undercover and playing along?"

"I hadn't thought about that"  
"What else?"  
"She told him she wasn't working for Vito anymore and was now with her uncle Carrigan who was straight not like Vito"  
"Morelli fall for that?"  
"Hook line and sinker"

"So what has she asked him to do?"  
"That she has enough evidence to have all the bosses locked away but she wants Morelli to arrange a meeting with them to suggest they move out of Trenton"  
"Does Carrigan want them away from here or do you think it's a trap?"

"Not sure"

"When's the meeting?"  
"Tomorrow evening"  
"Where?"  
"Don't know"

"Shit"

"If it's a trap then Terry won't want Morelli hurt"

I turned seeing Steph stood by the door; hell I didn't know how much she'd heard, I held my hand out to her pulling her down onto my knee, wrapping my arms around her stomach.

"How much did you hear Babe?"  
"Enough"

"You okay?"  
"Yeah, though I can't see Morelli turning like that, he may be a slime ball, but he's always been an honest one"

"What would you suggest Beautiful?"  
"When we were at Lula's funeral Eddie asked me to tell you talk to him later, could we trust him Babe?"

I saw her frown as she thought about it.

"Yes, he's always helped me out and to be honest he's always stood by me when Morelli had a go at me"  
"How can we make that work Santos?"  
"If I can get him to meet with you further away from Trenton, maybe that would work"  
"Babe what do you want Santos to say to Eddie?"  
"The truth, that I'm scared that someone is after me and that he has to swear not to tell anyone"

"Okay, I'll give him a call, see when he can meet with us, there's a café in Princeton, Allegro, that's far enough away so we won't bump into anyone"  
"How will you let us know?"  
Santos passed me a phone from his pocket, it was cheap and cheerful so no doubt a burn phone. He stood and kissed Steph on the head and walked through to the door, I followed and locked the door and reset the alarm returning to the bedroom to find Steph already there.

"What do you think Carlos?"  
"I honestly don't know. Morelli has always given me the impression of being above board but not everyone has that opinion of him"  
I was thinking back to what Eula had said that day in the hospital, maybe he was talking to informants but he had a very strange idea of what a relationship was given that he always seemed to gravitate between Steph and Terry Gilman.

"You don't trust him do you, why not?"  
"Not totally, he doesn't seem to care who he hurts"  
"I get that, I mean look at the trick he played on me when he made out that I'd killed Dickie"  
"He used you Babe and then tried to take the credit"  
"Well not any more"  
While talking I'd changed into silk boxers and was now getting into bed, I knew we were both worried but I honestly didn't know what to think or what to say, maybe Eddie could throw some light on what Morelli was up to, but if he thought he could use Steph to break a case and enhance his career then I'd make sure the truth came out one way or another. It was with those thoughts on my mind that I slowly drifted to sleep, comforted by the feel of Steph laid with me.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

I was surprised to be woken up by a call coming from the burn phone, hell it was only 0600hrs, surely too early for Santos.

"Yo"  
"Meet at 1000hrs"  
"That was quick"  
"He was still on duty last night so I waited around for him to come out"  
"No one around?"  
"Nah, Morelli wasn't on duty and surveillance put him at home"  
"Eddie okay about it"  
"Oh yes, I'd say keen. See you there"

"Who was that?"  
I turned to see Steph laid on her side but with her eyes still shut.

"Santos, we're meeting Eddie at 10"

"Kay"  
"I'm going down to do a work out"

I rolled out of bed, changed and headed down to the basement starting a routine on the treadmill; I was surprised when Steph came in dressed in joggers and T-shirt.

"Will you help me try to remember some of the moves Jay was trying to teach me?"

We spent an hour with me going through the moves slowly at first. pleased that by the end of the session she was showing an aptitude for what she'd learnt, she hadn't forgotten what to do, but needed to speed up her reflexes which as the session continued she was doing.

"Shower and breakfast Babe, we'll need to leave by 9.15 to get to the café and I want to scout the area out first"  
"Will it just be Lester there?"  
"Possibly, he won't want to draw attention to us, make sure you're dressed and use the Kevlar vest in the closet"  
We were on the road as I'd planned driving away from Trenton and heading north, I must admit I was being super vigilant watching the cars around me, Steph had been quiet this morning so when she spoke she caught me unaware.

"Sorry Babe, I wasn't listening"  
"I said we don't appear to have a tail"  
"No and it would have been obvious with the route I've taken"

I'd circled around the area near to the café but felt secure that we were alone so parked in front and turned the engine off. I opened the door pleased when Steph waited for me to open hers and then with her hand in mine headed into the café, going of course to the table at the back of the room and sitting with my back to the wall. Within two minutes I knew where all the exits were and how many staff were working, watching as customers came in and out. We'd ordered coffee and as it arrived I saw Santos come in closely followed by Eddie. Both of them were wearing jeans and a sweater and both had arrived in cars that were indistinguishable. Eddie came straight up to Steph and pulled her up into a hug before sitting with Santos opposite us.

"I'm sure as hell glad to see you two alive and well, though at first sight I nearly didn't recognize you, nice disguise Ranger"  
"I'm sorry we dragged you out here Eddie"  
"No, I wanted to talk to Steph after the funeral but you both seemed to disappear"  
"Eddie what do you know that made it seem so important"  
"Steph I'm worried"  
"About?"  
"Well its Morelli, he's been acting real strange"  
"Is he working on anything big?"  
"No and that's what's got me worried"  
"Could he be working undercover?"  
"No, the chief is at him to close any cases he's supposed to be working on"

"So what has you so worried"  
"He says he's about to break open the biggest case in the history of Trenton bringing in the big guns and he has a witness that he's going to get into the witness protection scheme and then they'll be safe"

"Has he said who this witness is?"  
"No, he wouldn't give that up, said that they were key to his bust"  
I watched as Steph absorbed what he was saying, she was probably thinking the same as me, that this witness was Terry and he was going to protect her and that meant she'd get away with her treatment of Steph, her association with Carrigan and possibly Jimmy's murder.

"He was going nuts when he heard that maybe you were dead, thing is I think he knows you're still alive now, do you think he knows Steph?"  
Again she was thinking things through.

"I don't see how, I mean I haven't been anywhere but we got word to friends that I was out of town"  
"Well just stay safe okay?"  
"I will Eddie, Eddie thanks for coming here and being such a good friend"  
"Anytime Steph, for you. I gotta get going before someone misses me"  
"Love to Shirley and the boys"  
"Will do"  
He got up and looked around before leaving the café as we sat where we were watching, something must have tipped off Morelli but I couldn't for the life of me think what it could be, I looked over at Santos and yeah he knew what I was thinking.

"He can't know you're near Trenton, maybe he's just believing that you're both out of town"  
"Maybe, any news on this meeting?"  
"No, Morelli's being quiet in the car"  
"So keep up the surveillance but tell the men to be extra careful, he can't figure out that we're on to him"  
"I got a message to Jemerez through his woman, telling him to contact me if he needs to"  
"He might, but he only ever really contacted me"  
"I told the woman that I was in charge now"  
"Fair enough, Babe you ready to leave now?"  
She nodded and moved the cup away from her; strange she hadn't touched it, and then got to her feet following us out of the café and toward the car. Once in I drove a circuitous route back to the house and parked up in the drive.

"You're quiet Babe"  
"I know, I just can't figure out what the hell Morelli is up to"  
"Maybe he thinks he's doing Trenton a favor by getting rid of the bosses"  
"Even I know that wouldn't work, but it would clear the path for Carrigan"  
"And Terry gets away scot free taking Morelli with her"  
"Maybe"  
"What else do you think it could be?"  
"I don't know, it's just that it isn't sitting right with me"  
Before I'd even opened my door I heard the phone go off and answered knowing it would be Santos.

"Yo"

"All hell's broken loose, restaurant at the edge of the Burg"  
"Who's involved?"  
"Jemerez, Vito, Granaldy, not sure who else"  
"You need me to go?"  
"No, stay away, bullets were flying but I'm not sure who was shooting at whom, we're watching from a distance. Shit police are here now, I'll keep you updated"  
I saw that Steph was curious but really needed to get us inside.

"Babe let's get inside and then I can tell you what Santos had to say"  
I opened the door and had just got to the front of the car when I saw movement from the corner of my eye, no one knew of this place did they? I locked the car with the remote raising my hand to tell Steph to stay put and then made my way to the cover of the shrubs with both guns in my hand. I crouched down trying to hear something, anything that would give me some idea of who and where they were. Had I made a mistake, no I would never make a mistake like that. I could see the car from where I was hidden pleased that Steph had slunk down in the seat, and then I saw it again, a shadow moving at the other end of the house, not one, but two. I hit the panic button on my watch; to hell with keeping us hidden, we needed to stay alive. I stayed low and watched as the two men approached the car and tried the door, praying that Steph hadn't released the lock, they moved away quietly and then started toward the door. I heard the sound of cars approaching and from the sound of them I could tell they were mine; that Landrover had an engine that could be heard for miles. As the lights from the cars came into view and men started to get out I heard the sound of gunshots coming from this side of the house, my men couldn't fire until they knew where Steph and I were. I kept an eye on the car and inched my way toward the door where I'd seen the intruders and creeping quietly behind one of the men had a hand on his dead and one across his shoulders, a quick sideways pull and I heard the crunch in his neck and slowly lowered him down to the ground. The firing intensified as I saw Santos and Tank coming from the other side of the drive but I didn't think they'd seen where all the men were hiding and I knew they were going to come into their sights. I stepped forward and fired two shots to give Santos and Tank the time and knowledge to change their position, it was me who was taken by surprise though, I turned too late to take an evasive maneuver and as I felt the bullets hit my back I smiled knowing that my attackers were dead but only had thoughts of my Babe and that she was safe before I fell unconscious on the ground.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

SPOV

"Your name please"  
Well at least this man was trying to be polite, but even though this felt like déjà vu no way was I going to talk to him. I put my arms on the table and rested my cheek on them yeah I knew if I didn't say a word he'd get annoyed.

"Look, alright I know who you are but I need you to talk so that I can record it"  
Maybe he was telling the truth but no way was I going to make this easy for him so I didn't move and closed my eyes.

"Miss Plum the longer you are silent the longer this will take and to be honest I can wait a lot longer than you"  
I heard him sigh and then stand up, the sound of his shoes echoing on the wooden floor, at last when I heard the sound of the door open and close I lifted my head to look around. I was in a room that I suppose you might call a bedsit, but without anything resembling a kitchen. I was sat on a wooden chair at a wooden table that had glasses and a jug of water. There was a single bed against the wall, with what seemed to be clean linens on them that matched the short drapes across a barred window. A couch was against another wall with a small coffee table in front of it and a door that led to a bathroom, a place I had need to visit a few times since I'd been here. I was aware of a camera high up in the corner of the room but I stood and moved across to the bed, laying down on my back. Instinctively I lifted my arm to look at the time remembering all my jewelry had been removed, so looked at the clock on the wall wishing time would move faster. I knew I'd already been kept here overnight, but I couldn't sleep no matter how tired I felt. I had no pen and paper this time but there was no way I would write down what I knew, that would stay forever locked inside my head until it was time to use it, and use it I would.

I thought back to the whole crazy incident that had happened before being brought here. The meeting with Eddie had thrown me, I just couldn't understand what Morelli was up to, I mean I knew he could use me to help with his cases, getting me involved so I would do all of the work and solve the riddle of the what and the who, but this time I couldn't work it out. When Carlos had answered his phone I knew it had to be because there was trouble somewhere but I also knew he wasn't to go somewhere and leave me. As he'd walked in front of the car I saw his whole demeanor change, he went immediately into mercenary mode drawing out two guns from god knows where. I heard the locks of the car engage and that he'd done that to keep me safe, but I was so worried about what he'd seen or heard, worried for him not me. I saw a shadow move from the other side of the drive and slunk down in the seat so no one could see me, if Carlos felt I was safe then he would do what he needed to do and not be distracted by worrying for me. I heard cars arriving and just prayed they were Rangeman coming to our rescue but I'd jumped at the sound of gunfire, and tried to see what was happening and then I saw her in the side view mirror. Blood was running from a wound in her stomach and she was holding her hand over it trying to stop the flow of blood. Her face was pale and there was pain etched across it as she made her way to the car and lent against it. Call me stupid but I didn't care who she was, I switched off the interior light, afraid it may come on, I couldn't see a weapon on her so I flipped the switch to unlock the doors and crawled between the seats into the back, then really carefully so as not to make a noise opened the rear door and taking an arm pulled her inside. I don't think she realized who I was until I'd laid her across the seat, adding a blanket I found and pushed it against her wound.

"Why are you helping me?"  
"You're hurt and in pain"  
"But you hate me"  
"No Terry I don't hate you"  
"You should do"

I watched her face as she winced with pain and saw tears forming in her eyes.  
"Terry you're badly injured"

"He used me"

I could only assume she was talking about Morelli.

"He uses us all Terry"  
"I really thought he'd stay with me, make a life with me but all he wanted was to get information from me"  
"I'm so sorry Terry"  
"Shit, I hurt"  
"Don't talk Terry, we'll get help"  
"No, it's too late"  
I saw her hand go down her chest between her breasts and as she opened her hand she pulled out a lipstick, not what I was expecting.

"Take this"  
"What do I do with it"  
"Keep it safe and you'll know when the time is right"  
"Terry you can give it to someone"  
"No, I feel cold, I can hardly keep my eyes open, the pain's not as bad now"  
"Terry, you stay awake and fight"  
"No, I'm sorry Steph, I was so jealous of you, I couldn't understand why you and Joe kept up that stupid on and off relationship"  
"I don't either"

"I thought if you were out of the way he'd let me in"  
"I don't love him Terry"  
"I know now, I watched the recording of you and Ranger before the explosion, your love for each other radiates from you both"  
"Terry, please don't give up"  
I watched as her eyes closed as her breathing seemed to slow down as she struggled to take air in and then as her hand went limp on the lipstick and it fell into my hand. A long exhale was the last movement she made and I pulled her to me, tears flowing from my eyes, another woman dead all because of Carrigan and maybe Morelli. I slipped the lipstick in the inside zipped section of my bag, no one would be any the wiser at finding a lipstick among my other makeup. I buried my head next to her hair crying softly, Carlos would be here soon and he'd know what to do. I hadn't been aware that the gunfire had stopped or of the number of people around the house, I'd blocked everything out, safe in the cocoon of the car. I hadn't realized that the door was opening until I nearly fell out backwards and when it was a strangers face looking at me and holding me up I panicked. I'd been dragged away to another car, screaming and kicking, I wanted Carlos with me but I couldn't see him, I screamed his name over and over but to no avail, the only people I could see were men in black suits. I'd remembered the first time men in suits had taken me but now my panic became real, and as I was lifted and placed in a car I curled up crying hysterically.

Tears were still rolling down my cheeks when I heard the door open again, I didn't bother to move or look up at who was there, but I was aware of someone sitting down next to me on the bed.

"Miss Plum you have information that we need, information that could put a lot of bad men away in prison for a very long time, but you need to talk to us, tell us what you know"

I stayed still with my eyes closed, he wouldn't break me, and he wouldn't get me to talk.

"You have a visitor and then we need to move you to somewhere safer"

My eyes opened wide at that, was Carlos here or had he sent someone to get me?

"Thought that would get your attention, he's pulled a few a few strings that boyfriend of yours"  
My heart began to beat faster and I sat up, I'm sure I had a smile on my face as I got to my feet, I had to stop myself from running to the door as it opened. I came to a stop, not believing what I was seeing because stood there smiling was Joseph Morelli.  
"Cupcake, I'm so pleased to see you"  
As he stepped forward I stepped back, twice before he stood still.

"What's wrong Cupcake, I'm here to make sure you're safe"  
I turned and went to sit down at the table not looking at anything and certainly not him, I wanted to shout and scream at him but I wasn't going to give him the pleasure of even responding to him.

"Cupcake he's not going to come for you"  
Still I ignored him.

"He was shot in that shootout, two bullets to the back, dead as soon as he hit the ground"  
What had he said, that couldn't be right, I'd know it if Carlos was dead. He couldn't be, he promised me he'd never leave me.

"Cupcake, did you hear me? I've arranged for somewhere we can go, somewhere where you'll be safe and no one can find you"  
"No, no, you're lying"

"So why isn't he here then?"  
"I won't go with you"  
"No choice Cupcake, you either walk out or I carry you out"

Tears were running down my face and I knew I was sobbing, Carlos couldn't be dead, I'd feel the loss, I wouldn't ever betray my love for him, he would be the only man I would ever love and now Morelli had cut me down expecting me to let him comfort me or get back together with me? No. As the sobs came out I felt a band wrap around my heart, I would avenge Carlos, I would make him proud of me, and I would love him till I died.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

I was aware of someone holding me around the waist and being led from that room, I know we walked along corridors and then came through a door out into the sunshine. All the time my inner strength was regaining a hold, the hurt and anguish I felt was slowly turning to anger. I feigned being weak, and maybe I wasn't as strong as I wanted to be but I had to run, run away from Morelli. Looking around with my head held low I could see we were in a parking lot, no way to run from here because of the locked gate and men around, I would bide my time and come up with a plan. Morelli helped me into the passenger seat of a new SUV 00and spoke to a man by the side of the car, I'm sure he didn't look happy at what was going on, I didn't care and was almost happy when it was just Morelli who got in with me. As he flipped the switch to lock the doors I held the catch open hoping that maybe I wasn't locked in and sat up watching where we were going. I was surprised when we drove out of the gate, for some reason I thought we were in a city but I was looking out on trees and fields. Of course Morelli tried to get me to talk, but I wasn't going to even acknowledge him.

"You okay Cupcake?"  
"Do you want to know where we're going?"

"Are you going to keep ignoring me?"  
I could tell he was getting annoyed, good maybe I could catch him off guard.

"Don't you want to know what's happened?"

"Look Cupcake I'll tell you if you at least say something"

"I'm sorry about Manoso, but let's face it, he had it coming"

I moved to look out of the window, tears were forming in my eyes as I thought about Carlos and my hatred for Morelli only grew, how could he say that knowing how much I was hurting, or was he still so delusional that he thought I would ever be anywhere near him. Movement from the side mirror made me look more closely and what I saw had my heart soaring, I'd never really thought about the rest of the Rangemen, I mean I know they liked me and would always do anything for me but with Ranger gone I'd just assumed they'd close ranks. Then again Lester and Tank and Hector and Jay had become really good friends, so maybe they would still look out for me even if Ranger wasn't around. The sight that had my attention was an old red Landrover and I just knew it was keeping an eye on me, so maybe it was time to up Morelli's temper, by keeping him pre occupied with me.  
"I thought you were going to hitch up with Terry?"  
"Cupcake I told you it was work, she had information"  
"So you went on holiday with her?"  
"Yeah, but nothing happened, honest"  
"So you came home without her?"  
"I missed you Cupcake and realized the job wasn't worth it but you were"  
"Yeah well you were too late"  
"Why him Cupcake, he's a piece of shit"  
"Takes one to know one"  
"Now just one minute"

Oh yeah he was getting annoyed and as he was looking at me and not in the mirror he obviously hadn't noticed the tail we had.

"Cupcake if I get this case closed up I can devote all my time to you"  
"So Terry didn't come up with the information?"  
"No, what she gave me was rubbish"  
"So why am I here?"  
"You have information Cupcake and I've arranged for witness protection for both of us so we can disappear"  
He thought he could use me again, well no way was that happening.

"Just what do you think I have?"  
"You always know what's going on, hell the way you follow you're nose I know you have information"  
I lent my head on my hand against the window trying to stay calm.

"Will you slow down a bit I'm feeling a bit car sick"  
He had the nerve to laugh at that, but to be honest I really wasn't feeling so good and the only reason I could come up with was the way he was driving. I mean I'd only drunk water for the last day I couldn't face eating anything, but now I really thought I was going to throw up. And I did, but I turned and made sure it landed on his knee.

"Shit, what did you do that for?"  
He slowed down the car and pulled off the road onto a turn off so I decided now was the time to make my move, I grabbed the handle and opened the door but he was too fast for me and grabbed hold of my arm.  
"Oh no you don't Cupcake"  
I turned to look at him taking in his face, how the hell had I seen anything to like about him, his eyes were staring back at me, cold and grey, and his face that I'd seen as being so handsome was scowling. I twisted so I was I half facing him and remembered what both Jay and Ranger had taught me. I positioned my body and leaned back, my face was down but I was looking at where I wanted to hit him and then brought my fist up extending and putting all my weight behind it. He didn't see it coming and with that one shot on his temple he was dazed and released his grip, I was out of there so fast I didn't stop to look around. I hit a solid wall and if someone hadn't grabbed hold of me I would have fallen onto my backside.  
"Tank!"  
Looking up into his face I was so pleased to see him and then it hit me, Ranger wasn't there any more, he wouldn't be there to save me, to hold me and tell me everything would be alright. I broke down like a puppet that had had its strings cut. I knew I was being carried but I didn't care, I had nothing left to fight with.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

I couldn't work out if I was awake or dreaming but a fresh wave of nausea came over me and I turned my head and tried to get up. Hands were holding my head and a bowl appeared under my face, I had nothing to be sick on, just bile from my stomach, why the hell was I feeling so ill?

"Bomber you need to drink something honey"  
"No, I don't want anything"  
"Bomber you're getting weaker so unless you work with me I'll end up having to give you an IV"  
"No, just let me be, I don't want your help"

"Look as soon as you're feeling better you can go up to seven"  
Oh god no, I couldn't go up there not without Carlos there, I'd rather die than do that.

"He needs you with him Steph"  
"So let me be with him then"  
"Steph he can't come down here yet"  
What the hell was he talking about, did he think he could come back down like a ghost or something.

"Steph, forget it, I'll be back in a minute"

I curled up on my side, hell did I have any more tears left? I didn't think I could stop and when someone put their hands under my shoulders and knees I didn't have the energy to complain.

"Beautiful I don't know what's got into you"  
"I can't go on without him Lester"  
We were now in the lift and as I looked at the numbers I realized we were going up.

"Please Lester"  
"What the hell do think has happened?"  
"At the house he, he got shot"  
"Yeah, but another day and he'll be moving about"  
"What, he's alive?"  
"Shit Beautiful, did you think he was dead?"  
"Morelli, he said, he said he died"  
"Oh Steph, no wonder you've been acting all weird"

By now we were leaving the lift and the door to the apartment opened with Bobby stood there.

"Steph you can't wake him, he's still sedated"  
"What happened?"  
"One of the bullets rammed his spine so until the swelling goes down he has to stay still"  
"Will he be okay?"  
"Yes, as long he keeps his back immobilized for at least another 24 hours"

"Is that why you sedated him?"

"Steph he wouldn't have stayed in the bed let alone stay still with you being gone"

"Can I lay with him?"  
"Only if you eat and drink first"

"Okay then"

He sat me down on the couch and produced a bowl of soup and some bread, no doubt Ella's amazing chicken noodle soup and home baked bread. I did as I was told though it was sitting heavy on my stomach and I lay back on the couch, for some reason I was feeling exhausted.

When I realized that I was awake it wasn't quite dark but it took a moment for me to get my bearings, I mean I knew I was laid down, and I knew I was comfy and had a sheet pulled up over me, it was the sound of breathing next to me that had me turning my head. There he was so still, but oh so handsome, as I looked further I could see something strapped to his lower back and then some type of material over his hips. Oh god he had to be all right, as long as he was alive that would be okay, I would never leave him whatever the outcome, I would still love him. I carefully moved from the bed, shit that soup had not sat well on my stomach so I headed to the bathroom. I was sat on the floor not really wanting to move, though the nausea did seem to be backing off, when Bobby knocked and walked in.

"Shit Bobby give a girl some privacy"  
"You've been in here for over ten minutes, you okay?"  
"Yeah, sorry, I thought I was gonna throw up again"  
"Steph how long have you been feeling ill?"  
"A few days maybe"  
"So before the shoot out at the house?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Just trying to figure out what was causing it"

My thoughts went back to what Rita had said just as I was leaving, "Be sure he loves you, and don't let him take it away, I feel it inside of you tell him and let him love you" no she couldn't have known anything, she had to be wrong, but I know it had frightened me, but was that what was making me feel so sick and tired, could I be strong enough against him, I mean I know he'd asked me to marry him, but would he want to now? He'd always said he didn't want children, I suppose the whole episode with Rachel had something to do with that. Would he have me living somewhere being paid like Rachel was to bring up his child or if it was a boy would he take him away from me like Carrigan had done to Rita?

"Steph?"  
"Yeah I'm coming out"

"Maybe I should run some tests"  
"Nah, I'll be fine, it's just all of the stress from the past few weeks catching up with me"  
"Okay then, I'm gonna sit with Ranger, he should be waking up soon and we can see how he's doing"  
"Can I be there?"  
"Sure, I'm sure you being here will calm him down"

I followed Bobby into the room and sat on the bed next to Ranger while Bobby sat in the chair. I know I sank down into the pillow and was slowly drifting to sleep when I felt a hand against my cheek, I opened my eyes to see that Ranger was looking at me, and there was so much emotion showing in his eyes, I stroked my hand down his face feeling the smooth skin of his cheek and the hair from his beard.

"How are you feeling?"  
"Better now you are here"  
"Bobby says you've got to lie still"  
"I know, he went and sedated me didn't he?"  
"So I hear"  
"No one would tell me what happened but when you weren't here I knew something had happened to you"  
"I'm here now, so lets just lay together"

I moved to my side so I was against him and rested my head on his shoulder and this time I did fall into a deep sleep.

I felt myself being lifted and woke quickly looking up into the face of Lester, what was wrong, had I hurt Ranger?

"Sorry Beautiful I didn't mean to wake you, we need to turn Ranger over so Bobby can check his back"  
"Just put me down then and I'll keep out of the way"  
He sat me on the chair and then went to the bed next to Bobby and slowly they turned Ranger over onto his front. Bobby unfastened some velcro fasteners and pulled the brace apart revealing huge bruises on Rangers back, shit they looked bad.

"How's it feeling now Ranger?"  
"Sore"  
"That's a good sign, can you feel your leg when I do this?"  
Bobby pinched his calf and then waited for a reply, I was holding my breath waiting as well.

"Yes'

"Okay it's looking good, there's still going to be some swelling but there's no evidence of any permanent damage"  
"When can I move?"  
"I'm going to fit a back brace so you can't bend that part of your spine, but it's going to be painful for a while, you need to rest it Ranger"  
"How long"

"I'd say a couple of days then we'll re-assess"  
"So I can get up"  
"Minimum walking, sit down or better still lay on your back, you're lucky there was no damage done to the vertebra"

I watched as Bobby removed the sections that had previously immobilized him leaving a brace around his back and then he and Lester carefully turned him back over.

"Let's help you to the bathroom"  
Once they'd done that they insisted he lay down again so once they'd left I snuggled back to where I'd been before.

"Bobby said you weren't feeling too good"  
"I'm okay now, I, I thought"

God dammit the tears were coming again.

"Babe, what's wrong?"  
"He told me you were dead"

"Oh Babe, I'm so sorry"  
"Not your fault, but it was such a shock and I knew I couldn't get through it"  
"I'm here"

"I know but what with those FBI guys and then hearing that and then Lester saying you were alive but hurt, I'm kind of emotional"

"Did anyone hurt you?"  
"No"  
"So what are the bruises on your hand?"  
"I got a chance to put that punch into practice"  
"Who?"  
"I'll tell you later, let's just lay together so I can feel you next to me"  
No way was I going to upset him at the moment but I really did need to ask Tank what had happened to Morelli.

The day passed quickly even though we practically slept away most of it, Bobby was there every hour to check on Carlos and Ella brought us a light meal of rice with some vegetables in it. By evening I needed to move, I was stiff from being still so long so while Hector and Cal kept Carlos company I showered and dressed to go down to five and find out what had happened. I found Tank in his office and after tapping on his open door went to sit in front of his desk.

"How you feeling Little Girl"  
"A lot better thanks, Tank how did you find me?"  
"Well Ram followed the car you were in and we worked out you were at a building the FBI use, so I had words with someone I know who works for them. He couldn't understand why you'd been picked up but when he made some calls he wasn't happy about it either"  
"So it wasn't their idea?"  
"Seems Morelli had worked with a couple of agents in the past and talked them into believing you had information"  
"Why would he do that?"  
"Maybe he thinks you do. Anyway he'd arranged for someone to go into witness protection and I guess that's where he was headed for"  
"I wouldn't talk to anyone"  
"Yeah I heard that, I got the go ahead to bring you home"  
"Morelli?"  
"Oh he's safely tucked up downstairs"  
"Won't you get into trouble for that?"  
"Nah, the FBI want to know what the hell he's up to, so as long as he stays alive they're happy for us to deal with him"  
"So what happened at the house, how did anyone find us?"

"Oh no you don't, we'll tell you and Ranger at the same time"  
Dam, I wasn't sure how long that could be and I was itching to know, so sue me, I'm nosey. When I went back to the apartment Hector and Cal left, Carlos was fast asleep so I changed into night wear and found the pad I'd used before and plugging in ear buds watched some reruns Hector had downloaded for me, before falling asleep again.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

I knew it was early when I woke up, probably all the sleep I'd got had something to do with it. As I turned I felt that nauseas feeling start in my stomach and tried ever so hard to lie still, maybe if I didn't move it would go away. No such luck so once again I was creeping out of bed and scurrying to the bathroom and this time I was sick. What the hell was I going to do, maybe I could get away with it while Carlos was laid up but he'd notice something was wrong, he always did. Should I just tell him and get it over with or maybe push him to argue with me so I could walk out? I really didn't know what to do for the best. Once I felt more settled I turned on the shower, no point in someone smelling sick on me or in here, and stood under the spray soaping myself and washing my hair. I wrapped a towel around my body and another on my head and made my way out into the bedroom.

"Babe"  
Shit I didn't realize he was awake; I plastered a smile on my face and perched on the bed next to him.

"How's your back feeling?"

"Better, it's not as painful today"  
"That's good then"  
"Babe, what's wrong?"  
"Nothing, why should there be?"  
I made to get up but his hand was on my arm stopping me, I couldn't face him now and my resolve to pretend nothing was wrong was slowly dwindling. I felt a tear run down my cheek; dam it, why was I crying at the drop of a hat?

"There is, talk with me Babe, tell me what's going through your mind"  
"I can't, I don't want to lose you"  
I could tell from his expression that he was worried and that made my tears fall faster.

"You know I have a pretty good idea what it is"  
What, he couldn't know; I mean I hadn't said something in my sleep had I? I felt him pull

me down toward him and ended up knelt by his side with his hands on my hips and then he slowly pulled me over him this time holding me underneath my arms so that my body was over his face. What I didn't expect was him kissing my tummy, shit did he know?  
"Mi hermosa Bebe con mi hermosa bebe"

He lowered me back down and I could honestly say he had a full smile across his face.

"You're not mad?"  
"Of course not, are you okay with it?"  
"I just thought, I mean you, I didn't expect you to know, hell it only occurred to me yesterday"  
"Babe I know you like no one else, you've been tired and not feeling well and then the fact that you weren't touching certain foods or drinks"  
"Yeah, I hate that coffee makes me feel sick. Carlos you won't get rid of me will you?"  
"Never, now that it's happened I'm so happy about it, something I didn't think I'd feel, but the idea of you growing our child, wow"  
"You won't take it off me?"  
I saw him frown when I said that and then as though he'd remembered something he held his hand against my cheek.

"Babe I love you and the child you're carrying, I'm not like Carrigan. Did Rita say something that made you think I would?"  
"Yeah, before I left, and I know I was stupid but the fears and doubt just took hold"

"No doubts or fears of that happening"

"Babe, open the drawer by the bed and take the small box out"  
I did as he asked and handed him the box, suddenly realizing what it was.  
"I asked you to marry me when we were on the island so now I have the ring I intended to give you I'll ask again. Will you marry me Babe, be mine for the world to see, be with me forever?"  
"Yes, I'll be yours as you'll be mine and we'll be together forever"  
He slipped the ring onto my finger, it was a beautiful blue stone set into a white gold setting with smaller stones running down each side, it really was beautiful.

"I do want us to be married before he's born, I want my name as yours"

"He, what if it's a girl?"  
"Then she'll be just as beautiful as her mother"  
I lay down next to him feeling so much easier knowing he wanted this child and me, now I had to get my head around the idea of being pregnant.

"Do you want to tell people yet?"

Hell, my mother, I would need to tell my mother and then everyone in the Burg would see me as an unmarried mother.  
"No, lets get the first doctors appointment over with first, I need to know how far along I am"  
"You know Bobby will work it out don't you?"  
"Maybe"  
"I need to get up Babe, can you help me up?"  
I sat up, grabbing hold of the towel to retie it and then helped him to move his legs over the edge of the bed and holding both his hands used my weight to pull him up, he didn't grimace at the pain today so maybe he was feeling better. I dressed quickly into jeans and a T-shirt and then went in search of food for breakfast, though what would be best for my stomach wasn't what I really fancied. In the end I had toast and a small amount of jam with fresh orange juice and had found the granola and yoghurt for Carlos. He perched on the breakfast stool lifting the bowl so he didn't have to bend over.

"Will Tank tell us what happened, because he wouldn't tell me without you being there"  
"I'll call him and set up for a meeting up here"

I was surprised when Carlos said the men would be here in 30 minutes, I was only expecting Tank, maybe we would look at how to find Carrigan and what about Morelli, who would talk with him because I really didn't want Carlos in there with him, he had too many issues against Morelli and being injured he would get frustrated.

As the door opened I watched as Tank, Lester, Bobby, Ram, Hector and Jay walked in this was going to be a full out meeting and I worried how Carlos would manage that. We sat in the lounge with Carlos sat on a stool that Bobby brought with him, it allowed the user to sit on the seat but with their knees on a lower section, meaning it kept your back straight. I sat on the floor lent against his knees allowing the men the seats on the couch and chairs. When everyone seemed settled it was Tank that took the lead.

"The meeting in town with the bosses first. Grizoli, Granaldy and Jemerez turned up first with their bodyguards and it was Terry Gilman who arrived. Problem was that the FBI turned up as well and that started the chaos, lots of blame being thrown around for that and the bosses got nervous when shots were fired, they left and the men killed or injured were the guards with the FBI trying to control the situation. The police eventually turned up but we think that's when Terry got hit. She must have got out with three of her men and headed to Carrigan's house"  
"So Terry set up the meeting knowing Morelli would call in the reinforcements to arrest them?"  
"Seems that way, though Morelli didn't go in he was around"  
I was confused now, did Carrigan know what Terry was up to or was she working in collusion just with Morelli? I turned as Lester started to talk.

"I think we were seen at that café, or at least driving from the place. I kept a fair distance behind you Ranger but by the time you hit your panic button there were already men around the house"

"Do we know who the men belonged to?"  
"I think they were Carrigan's and Terry's"  
How did they know, I mean we'd only been out once and that was to the café to meet up with Eddie, was there someone there that knew us and knew Carrigan was after us, surely that would be too much of a coincidence wouldn't it? I stood up and started to walk into the kitchen and back again trying to bring into my mind the people who were there. As faces went through my mind I suddenly had an idea and went into the office and switched on the laptop, putting a name in the search I found another name and input that, but I only needed a photo of them if my instincts were right. I printed it out and then using a pencil added additional features, glasses, nose piercing and darkened the hair and eyebrows. There on the paper was a face I recognized from the café. Shit how had we missed that one, or how had I missed it? I picked up the photo and went back into the room; the men were still talking about the gun fight at the restaurant so I didn't want to interrupt.

"Babe what did you find?"  
I passed the photo to Ranger who passed it to Lester, I'm sure they both recognized the woman as being in the restaurant but they obviously still didn't recognize who it was.

"The waitress"  
"I know Lester, but this is Clarence's sister"

"Shit, so she could have got a message to Terry and then it was just a question of keeping a look out for the car"

"Santos give Lansky the heads up as to where she is, that will close up his investigation"

"Do you think she knows anything more?"  
"No, with Terry dead it doesn't matter now if she implicates her"

"Tank hand Clarence over to Metcalf, say we found him but weren't sure who he was"

"On it"

"Babe how did Terry end up in the car?"

"She was bleeding and in a lot of pain, so I let her in, I'm sorry, but I couldn't leave her outside"  
"What did she say Babe?"  
"She admitted that Morelli had used her for information and you know what, I think she actually loved him. She admitted that in the end it wasn't me interfering with them being together and then she gave me something saying I'd know what to do with it, and then she died"

I know I had tears again, shit why was I so emotional? I stood up and went through to the bathroom to blow my nose and wipe my face, as I stood looking at my reflection I saw Carlos's face looking at me through the mirror.

"I'm sorry, it's just that she's the second person to die in my arms and I can't help crying at the slightest thing"  
"Hey, I understand and so do those men out there and I'm sure your hormones are playing havoc as well"  
"Okay, I can do this"  
"Babe what did she give you?"  
"A lipstick"  
"A lipstick, where is it now?"  
"I don't know I put it in my bag"  
"Let's find out where it is then"  
We walked back out into the lounge and sat down, none of the men took any notice of us and when there was a lull in the conversation I got Tank's attention.

"Tank do you know where my bag went from the car"  
"Say again?"  
"My bag, it was in the car"  
"Err, I think Ella sorted that"  
I could see he was thinking that I was being ignorant of what was going on around me and by the look he gave me I didn't know how to cope with it so I did what I do best, and ran from the room, the apartment and down the stairs to Ella's apartment. I knocked louder than I wanted to but I was so afraid the tears would start again. Why was it no one really listened to me and what I was trying to do.

"Oh Stephanie, is everything all right?"  
"Do you have my bag Ella?"  
"Yes, well no, not exactly. Come on in"  
I followed her into the lounge area and stood as she went into another room, returning with what looked like my bag.

"I bought an exact replacement dear, the other was covered in blood and well I thought you'd prefer a different one"  
I took the bag and opened it, holding my breath as I unzipped the compartment, there looking shiny and bright was the lipstick that Terry had given me.

"Thank you Ella"  
"Don't thank me, Eula took everything out and made sure they were all clean"  
We both turned as an alert sounded out in the hallway, what the hell was that?  
"We've gone to alert status, something must be wrong"  
"What do we need to do?"  
"Nothing, we need to stay where we are, the men will be securing the building and keeping watch for problems"  
"Can't I go up to the apartment?"  
"No, use the internal phone and call, let Carlos know where you are"  
I pushed the button for seven but it just rang and rang, oh god no, he couldn't get involved in anything, he was still injured, he'd end up getting hurt again. I put the lipstick into my pocket and headed for the door, would the lift be working? No, it was only one flight up so I literally ran up the stairs to find the apartment door open. I walked in almost dreading what I'd find, thing is there was nothing to find and no one was here. I turned and went back for the stairs now getting out of breath and fearing that the worst had happened. Were we being attacked, had something happened to one of the men? Five, I needed to get down to five. The corridor was empty which was really strange, normally there'd be men moving about and working, the conference room, could they all be in there? The sound of voices gave me hope that I was right; oh please don't let anyone be hurt. I quietly opened the door and stepped in, everyone was so absorbed in Tank stood at the front that no one noticed me, except Tank of course. Shit he really would think I was stupid, I'd missed the alert going off and was late coming into a meeting. Tank looked up and straight at me, then resumed talking, but after a couple of words he stopped mid sentence and once more looked at me. Everyone in the room turned and looked at me, I felt like crawling out of the room and I know I was blushing I could feel my cheeks getting warmer. I looked down at the floor, dam those tears were threatening again, the room had gone deathly quiet and I could feel eyes on me, a voice near to me made me jump.

"Babe?"  
"I'm sorry I'm late, I got stuck in Ella's apartment"  
"Ella's apartment?"  
"I had to get to my bag"  
I felt his arms come round me, pulling me to him and that's when the tears definitely came.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know we had to be in here"  
"Shush Babe, it's okay"

"What happened, why the alert?"  
"Someone went missing"  
"Oh god who, how?"  
"You"  
"Me?"

I felt myself being taken from Carlos and lifted for someone to place a kiss on my head.

"Hell Little Girl it was my fault, I didn't even give you the chance to explain yourself, I'm sorry"  
"It's okay, maybe I should have explained myself before chattering on about a handbag"

"Ranger nearly took my head off when he thought you'd ran and when we couldn't find you he had me put out an alert"  
"Well you'd better cancel it hadn't you, but thanks for worrying about me"

I felt Carlos put his arm on my shoulder, I think as much for him to lean on me as to keep me close.

"You find it?"  
"Yes, what did you say to Tank"  
"I didn't need to say anything"

"So why didn't he ask me about it then?"  
"Because I told him if he ever treated you like that again I'd personally make sure the mats were the least of his problems"

"You can't do that, I hate that you said that to him"

"I didn't have to say a word, he knew as soon as you ran out of the apartment"

"We're no closer to Carrigan are we?"  
"No we're not Babe, but maybe what Terry gave you might help"  
I helped him into the lift, thankful that it was now working and went through to the bedroom.

"You need to rest, so go lay down"

I removed the lipstick from my pocket and twisted it, amazing shade of red, surprised when Carlos took it from my hand and twisted the bottom off to reveal that it was a pen drive.

"I'll go get my laptop from the office"  
Once I returned he took over and once the laptop was switched on he inserted the drive into the USB slot then opened the file that appeared on the screen.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

I spent ages trying to get to sleep that night, I knew Carlos was asleep and I didn't want to disturb him with my tossing and turning, and all because of the information contained in that pen drive. It would certainly be the end of business for Ramos, Grizoli, Harry, Granaldy and Jemerez, every detail was there like a running commentary of their lifes work, but I questioned how Terry had come about it and in my own mind decided she'd probably stolen it from Jimmy Colowski before she'd maybe helped him die. Yes it would put them all in prison for a very long time and it would probably give Carrigan the leverage he was after. I carefully left the bed and went through to the lounge, picking up a bottle of water from the table before sitting down on the floor leaning against the wall by the windows. I needed to think and come up with a suitable solution as to what we did or didn't do with the information on the pen drive. If we ignored it and hid it away Carrigan would come up with another way to get to the bosses, so that was out. If we gave it to the FBI and they all went to jail then their businesses would only be taken over by someone else and Carrigan would have a go at them. Carlos didn't want either one of us or Rangeman involved and I totally agreed, I still didn't trust any of them and to be honest was probably scared of them and what they did and could do. What I needed was someone who could take over what Jimmy Colowski had done, keep the peace and ensure each boss kept to a set of agreed unwritten terms of agreement, the problem was who could do it, who would be strong enough to manage those men yet clever enough to manipulate them, someone who couldn't be bribed or blackmailed or cajoled, someone who could come up with an idea and take care of Carrigan, yeah I know an impossible combination for one person to have. And that was where I was at because I honestly believed that was the only way to go. I really didn't know of anyone with that criteria I mean I'm a bounty hunter, at least I used to be, I wonder when all this is over if Vinnie will open up again and expect me to work for him. Connie would she make a good candidate, nah, she was too brash and to be honest too close to the Family she was related to. But a woman would be good, an older woman and that's when an idea came into my head, she'd be strong and hard and wouldn't be intimidated hell she had an instinct and maybe a reason to want to do it. I lay down on the floor in my thinking position pulling a cushion from the couch as I started to think through what I'd thought about and how to maybe approach this woman.

I knew it was morning and to be honest had come to dread it, the though of being sick was really starting to get me down. But as my senses caught up with my brain I could smell something unfamiliar near me, I turned and opened my eyes to see Carlos squatting down next to me holding a mug with something hot in it.

"Babe, as much as I would love to lie down next to you I know I won't be able to get up from the floor"

"Sorry I'll get up then"  
I sat up and took the mug smelling it first.

"What is it?"  
"Peppermint tea, it's supposed to help with morning sickness"  
I blew across the top and took a sip, it actually tasted all right and as I continued to drink it at least my stomach seemed to accept it.

"How did you know?"  
"Know what?"  
"About peppermint tea"

"Babe I have sisters who have all been pregnant several times so it can be the topic of conversation"  
His family, I hadn't even thought about them, would he introduce me to them or just keep them in the dark like he did with so many aspects of his world.

"When this over we need to go visit with my family so they can get to know you"  
I smiled as I finished the tea and then slowly got up watching as Carlos pushed himself to standing.

"Babe will you do something for me?"  
"What?"  
"Let your hair go back to how it was, I miss your wild curls and running my hand through them"

As he said that he stroked his hand through the straight hair I still had.

"On one condition"  
"Go on"  
"Go back to how you looked before"  
"You don't like the beard?"  
"No, I want to see your face and the expressions you let slip through"  
"Fair enough. Have a shower and then try something simple to eat, maybe a banana"  
So that's what I did and as I ate I watched as Carlos moved from room to room, exactly what he was doing I wasn't sure until he appeared with a smooth face, god I loved the look of his face and at the moment it was showing a seriousness to it.

"What's wrong?"  
"Just thinking, why were you on the floor before?"  
"I couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake you with my tossing and turning"  
"Anything you want to do today?"  
"Could I go to Montgomery?"  
"To see Rita?"  
"Yeah, I feel she deserves someone to visit her"  
"She's not there Babe"

Had something happened to her, was she ill?  
"Babe, she's fine, I arranged for her to be seen by a friend who specializes in plastic surgery"  
"You did that for her?"  
"Yes, I knew you wouldn't object"  
"If I'd had the money I would have done it as well"

"You actually may be quite a wealthy woman"  
"Don't be silly"  
"My lawyer is seeking compensation for you being injured at the prison"  
"Why?"  
"Why not?"  
"It's not something I would have done"  
"I'm sure you can think of something to do with it"  
"Maybe, anyway where is Rita then?"  
"New York, do you want me to find out if we can visit?"  
"Yes please"  
As I said that I went onto my tip toes and pulling his shoulders to me and made sure he knew exactly how happy I was with his answer. I felt him respond and nipping on his lip delved into his mouth feeling a warmth surge through me, sheesh, maybe the change of hormones wasn't as bad as I thought. I felt him wince and pulled away looking at his face.

"I'm sorry Carlos I just never thought"  
"No I didn't think that would cause any pain, I must have moved awkwardly"

I kissed him on the cheek and taking him by the hand led him to the bedroom making him lie down, the last thing I wanted was a set back to his recovery.

"Babe leave my phone and I'll arrange a visit to Rita, I'll do it for this afternoon"

With nothing better to do I went down to five to my cubbie, there was nothing in the in box so I went in search of Tank in his office.

"What's up Little Girl?"  
"Do you have any searches I can do?"

"You got nothing to do?"  
"No, I left Ranger resting"  
"Here take these, but don't write hinkey on any thing"

There were only three and I really hoped none of them were hinkey as I remembered writing that on the search for Colstaro. They were straightforward and didn't take me long to do, two were for private homes so I only needed to run the family and any one working there, while the last one was for a jewelry company who'd expanded into Trenton, no problems with the owner and the only note I left for Tank was that there were no employees yet. As I started to pack away I felt the tingle move down my neck and turned as Carlos came out of the lift, he seemed more rested and was walking better even though he was still wearing the brace. He looked over at me and then was distracted by Bobby who went with him into his office, no doubt to check him over, so I made for the stairs and went up to seven looking to see what Ella had left for lunch. I didn't hear Carlos come in until he was literally behind me and then felt his mouth on my neck.

"Don't get me all worked up"  
"Bobby took the brace off but I still need to be careful"

"Does your back feel okay?"  
"A bit achy. We have the all clear to visit Rita"  
"Thank you for doing that and helping her"

It was nearly an hour later when Jay dropped us off at the hospital; it was set in it's own grounds with people walking around in the gardens surrounding the building. I recognized Nurse Metcalf as we entered the area where Rita was, I didn't know she'd come with her but it made sense for Rita to have a companion with her.

"I had Santos check her out"  
I knew he would have done and was pleased that she'd been seen as okay.

"She wants to see Stephanie first and then we'll see how she gets on with that"  
"I'll be waiting here Babe"  
I knocked and entered the room surprised at how homely it felt, a small lounge area and a bedroom, with I presume a bathroom and a small kitchen area. There were flowers in vases and pictures on the walls, Carlos had told me that this place had been especially set up to help people adapt to their injuries and that it was important for them to feel comfortable. I saw Rita across the room facing the window and walked over to her.

"Rita?"

When she turned around I could see she had a plastic mask over one side of her face, it had been made to look quite realistic and in fact I was sure from a distance no one would know she was badly disfigured.

"Stephanie it is so good to see you"  
"You look good and sound happy, is it all going well?"  
"Yes, the doctor is an absolute gem, so skilled and yet so caring"  
"I'm glad that you're getting the treatment you deserve"  
"Well he said I won't win any beauty contests but that there wouldn't be any problems with open wounds or infections so that is already a big improvement"

"So will the mask be a permanent feature?"  
"Oh no, it covers up my face while he does each section and allows it to heal"

"Do you use the garden area?"  
"Yes I've faced the fear of going outside, but what of you, you look radiant"  
"I'm good"  
"I owe your young man a lot"  
"That's him and what he does"  
"So you have something to ask me don't you?"  
"How do you know that?"  
"I've always been good at reading people, but your face shows so many expressions"

So as we drank chamomile tea I put forward my suggestion to Rita, all the time I couldn't gauge what she was thinking and when she didn't say anything I began to second think that this idea was any good.

"Stephanie don't doubt yourself, I think it is a brilliant idea"  
"Really?"  
"Yes, I've already spoken to a lawyer and he's in the process of collecting together information on any of Carry's assets"

"He'll have hidden them well and I have some aliases he uses"

"Oh I know, I found I'm good at finding things out"

"Does he know where you are?"  
"No I disappeared from Montgomery without a trace, and now with what you've suggested I'll work out a game plan"  
"Be careful Rita, he's evil"  
"Oh I know that, what's the saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and he is about to find out exactly what that means"  
"You can count us in with your plans to make this work"  
"Ah but I'm not going to put you in any danger, you have too much to lose"  
"How do you know?"  
"I see some of me in you. Does your partner know what you've suggested?"  
"No, I wanted to talk with you first"

"Go bring him in"

I brought Carlos into the room, I'm sure he was curious as to what we'd been talking about so after introductions I started to fill him in.

"Carlos I've been talking with Rita about what's been going on and I err"  
"Stephanie, what did I say, you've had a brilliant idea that allows me to reclaim my life"  
"Babe I don't understand"  
"Mr Manoso, I want to take on Carrigan and Stephanie has given me an ideal way to do it"  
"Rita call me Carlos or even Ranger"  
"I think it needs to be Ranger, to give the illusion that I don't know either of you overly well. Meet the new matriarch of the bosses, Rita Cancio"

I knew Carlos was still at a loss at what that meant but then I saw his expression change as the full implication came to him.

"You mean use the information that Steph has and take over the roll that Colowski had, are you sure you're up to that?"

"Oh yes, I have thirty years of harboring anger and hatred against Carry, now I can focus all that energy and bring him down and I know how you feel about those men who control the underworld of Trenton and beyond, I can reign them in, keep the status quo and maintain that ethical and moral code you need"  
"Rita I won't allow Steph to be involved"  
"I agree, or you and your company, I mean to put a distance between us as far as business is concerned, but I'm so looking forward to seeing your bambino, he or she will be a beautiful child with you two as parents"

"You told her?"  
"No, Rita already seemed to know"  
"Ranger being so reclusive for so many years has heightened my instincts, I knew when she came to see me at the home that she was pregnant"

"All right if you're determined to follow this path then I may have someone who can fill you in on other areas of their world"

I looked at Carlos I'm sure with a curious look on my face, who would be able to that? Then it dawned on me, Hector, he could impart information that he knew from the streets, as long as that didn't put him in danger or tie Rangeman into the mix.

"Once he's filled you in on what he knows then his affiliation with you will end, he's a good friend and an employee of Rangeman, I don't want him involved"  
"Agreed Ranger. So we need a time frame and I need to plan my moves"

"How long do you need?"  
"My lawyer is here tomorrow and he will have a way of acquiring money for me, I've already told him to buy the house on Back Creek Road"

"Steph thought that Carrigan owned that house"  
"Yes, she told me about his illusions. It's going cheap especially as Carrigan wants rid of it, I think he's running low on funds"

"Rita you need to be careful, he's playing around with technology that's dangerous"

"I know, you see I received a package from a lawyer before coming here, from James Harvey, it seems he didn't believe Carry when he said I was dead and James was worried about where Carry was going with his ideas. You see James was the brains behind the development but he made sure that no one could duplicate what he'd developed, his work died with him. I have all of the details of what Carrigan had and he doesn't have enough to do anyone any more damage. It seems James thought I could maybe do something and with what Stephanie has told me I have more than enough ammunition to smoke him out and finish him"

"If you need help with understanding the technology Hector can help out with that as well"

"Thank you I think I'll need that expertise, he may visit whenever he can"  
"Rita what about your treatment?"  
"I'm at a stage where I need my skin to heal so I have time before my next phase of treatment"

This was moving way out of what I saw as my involvement and to be honest I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was going to happen, I took Carlos's hand in mine trying to say to him it was time for us to leave, he seemed to sense what I needed and stood up bringing me with him.

"Rita I'll leave everything in your hands now, if you need anything then use Hector as a conduit, but I think it's time for us to leave"  
"I agree, Stephanie I won't see you for a while, at least not until this is over. Take good care of her Ranger, she is a very special person"

"I will"  
I had one last question to ask, all right call me nosey, but I needed to know what Rita would do.

"Rita what about the man you think is your son?"  
"I don't know yet, I'll play that one carefully and see if I can find out how deep he is with his father and then take it from there"  
How I hoped he wasn't mad like his father was, she deserved some happy from this. Back in the car I know I was quiet, I really hoped I'd not made a mistake by involving Rita but for some reason my heart seemed to think it was the right thing to do, it was my head that was arguing against it. I was brought out of my thoughts by a pinging from my phone, weird because I'd blocked just about everyone's number. I opened the phone and looked at the caller ID.

"Shit, my mother"

"What's she saying?"

"Due back tomorrow so will expect to see me then"  
"Not a good idea, maybe you can persuade her to extend their vacation"  
"They've already been gone for over three weeks, how the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Where are they"  
"Somewhere near Wilmington North Carolina"

"Tell her you've won a cruise and I'll set it up, I'm sure they go from there down to the Bahamas"  
I punched in her number holding tightly onto Carlos's hand, I so hated to lie to my mother, for some reason she would always know.

"Hey Mum, I just needed to catch up with you"  
"Stephanie, is every thing all right at home?"  
"Of course, I'm really busy at the moment"  
"I heard some weird stories about you"  
"Nah, all's good, the thing is I have something that might interest you and Dad"  
"What on earth could that be?"  
"Well you see I bought one of those raffle tickets ages ago and guess what, I won a cruise"  
"Oh that's lovely, you can have a vacation as well"  
"That's the problem, I have too much work on so I thought maybe you and Dad could go instead"  
"I'm not sure about that"  
"It would be such a waste for you not take it, and I know you hate to waste things"  
"So if we don't go you lose the ticket?"  
"Yes"  
"Well when you put it like that, I'll talk to your father, send me the information"  
"Great I will"

"Talk to you soon Stephanie"

As I finished the call I suddenly thought about how much that would cost, I didn't have the money for that and I couldn't let Carlos pay for it. I knew I was biting my lip and Carlos knew I was getting a little worked up, with his thumb he teased my lip from my mouth.

"What's wrong Babe?"  
"It'll cost a fortune I can't afford it"  
"I can"  
"But you can't pay"  
"Why not?"  
"Because"  
"Babe no price remember?"  
How the hell could I answer that, I mean he was forever paying out for me, maybe once that money came through from the compensation I'd just pay it into his account, yeah that was the way to do it. I was actually quite pleased that my parents wouldn't be back for a while; I really wasn't looking forward to telling my mother I was pregnant. Carlos looked up from his phone and put it away in his pocket.

"Done, they board in the morning for a three week cruise down the coast"  
"How do you do it so quickly?"  
"A travel agent who is pleased to do business with me, I often surprise my parents in the same way"  
As the drive continued I began to think, I was forgetting something, something that was important and was wracking my brains to come up with what it was and there it was so I blurted the word straight out.

"Morelli"  
"What about him?"  
"When are we going to talk to him?"  
"How about after dinner and after you've had a rest?"  
"Yeah that sounds good to me"


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

I didn't feel as confident standing in front of the cells as I had when I'd come here to talk to Clarence, I knew Morelli could say things to me that would get me worked up and maybe upset. We'd agreed that Lester would lead the discussion with me there to add questions if I thought he was lying or missing something out, after all I knew him too well. Carlos was going to watch and listen and when the opportunity was right he'd come in, but I think Lester was as concerned as me that he still wasn't 100 percent healed and could end up hurting himself. I had my hair tied back into a ponytail with wisps of curls that were coming back framing my face, no makeup, and wearing my Rangeman uniform. I knew my appearance would piss Morelli off, but I was assured that he couldn't move from the table he was sat at because of the shackles around his ankles. We'd agreed that Morelli needed his arms to express himself but I had not to go near enough for him to grab hold of me, and that was fine with me, I didn't want to get that close to him unless it was to punch him again of course. I followed Lester into the room watching Morelli, his gaze went from me to Lester and as usual he started his usual rampaging. As agreed I let Lester take the lead.

"You can't keep me here, I'm a police officer"  
"Yes we can Morelli"

"No. I'm in the middle of an important case"  
"Yes you are Morelli, right in the middle, which is why the FBI have contracted us to find out your part in it"  
"Oh no you're not playing that game with me"  
"No game Morelli, the FBI are really pissed off with how you've conducted yourself"  
"Me! I gave them the mafia bosses"  
"No evidence Morelli"  
"What do you mean? Terry was supposed to give them all the evidence they needed"  
"Really, because she didn't"  
"I can't believe it, let me out and I'll go get it"  
"Where from Morelli?"  
"I know she had it, I'll search her house and find it"  
"Morelli the FBI don't believe that you and Terry had any intention of delivering any information, in fact they don't think it exists"  
"But she said she got it from Jimmy Colowski"

"When she killed him and you helped"  
"No, I only moved the car, I had to give Terry the impression I was helping her"  
"Aiding and abetting in a murder, covering up evidence of a murder, that would put you inside for a very long time Morelli"  
"It was part of my cover, a way to get her to trust me"

I could see that Morelli was getting annoyed and maybe a little worried at what Lester had said so added a question I thought was important.

"So who knew about this undercover work you were doing Joe?"

He looked at me and he knew I knew that there wasn't anyone, at least not that would sanction the stunts he'd pulled.

"The FBI knew"  
"No, they knew nothing until they got a call from you to be at that restaurant and look at how that turned out"  
"They knew I had a confidential informant"

"Morelli you tried to tell them it was Stephanie and you know she doesn't know anything"  
"She does, she always has the information"

"So we can add kidnapping to the list then Morelli?"  
"What, no, Cupcake and I, we're a couple, she wanted to come"

That no good liar, I would never have gone anywhere with him and he knew it.

"No Joe I was forced to go with you, you knew I wanted nothing to do with you"  
"But he's gone now Cupcake, there's no one between us, unless of course you're shacking up with another thug"

"Joe, who I choose to shack up with is none of your business"  
"Christ Cupcake are you so desperate?"  
"Yeah maybe I am, I like the Rangeman I'm with now"

"Hell I did it for you"  
"What about Terry Joe, she loved you, she would have done anything for you"

"I didn't love her like I do you, you and I, we can be happy, have some kids and live our lives together"  
"Let's get back to the point Morelli, what about Carrigan?"  
"Terry's uncle?"  
"Yeah Terry's uncle"  
"He hated Grizoli and what he did, he wanted Terry away from it so he helped us"  
"How did he help you Morelli?"  
"Well he err, helped set up the bosses"  
"Doing what?"  
"Making them run scared, he said if we scared them enough they'd make mistakes and be easier to arrest"  
"So using the warehouse at Bordertown?"

"What, no, I didn't like the idea of him suggesting we kill them so Terry and I diverted them and set up a meeting in town"  
"But it blew up"  
"Yeah he said he forgot to remove all the devises, but no harm was done to anyone"  
No harm, Carlos and I nearly died there and he didn't know?

"So the fact that I was there, that didn't bother you?"  
"Don't be silly, why would you be there?"  
"And the fact that you were at the prison when I went to visit Lula?"  
"That was just coincidence, I was interviewing one of the inmates, her pimp got murdered and she knew something about it"

"You turning up at the police station when I was arrested?"  
"Yeah well, I was so annoyed with you, I had to see for myself, I'm sorry I lost it Cupcake"

"Carrigan, Morelli"

"He just wanted to help Terry, he didn't know what was going down"  
I honestly think he believed what he was saying and it made me feel sorry for him, not a lot, but he really thought that he could bring in the bad guys, win the woman he chose and disappear into the sunset, how delusional can one person get.

"So are we good now, we gonna work this out Cupcake?"  
"No Joe"

I heard the door open and watched as Carlos walked in, maybe he'd come to the same conclusion as me but it was the look on Morelli's face that almost had me laughing out loud. I knew though from Carlos's face that he was also annoyed and once Morelli got over the shock he knew it too.

"I, I thought you were dead"  
"So you thought you could waltz off with my woman?

I saw the moment Morelli looked down at my hand and saw my ring, yeah he was definitely pissed now.

"You said yes to him, the man who doesn't do commitment or relationships?"

"Yes I did"  
"He won't stay with you, he'll throw you out and heaven forbid you get pregnant, hell I can just see you living in a condo in Miami on your own, maybe swapping stories with what's her name, Rachel"  
Neither Lester nor I saw Carlos move but Morelli certainly did, he lent back in the chair as if waiting for a punch to land but Carlos just leaned in close to him and in a very cold voice replied to what Morelli had said.

"I love Stephanie more than you ever did and we will be married soon and live together as a family, she will bear my children Morelli, not yours, and every day I will love and cherish her and my child until the day I die"

Ah shit the cat was out of the bag and not only was Morelli speechless but I could almost hear the cogs working inside of Lester's head.

"You will be handed over to the FBI and you will be charged with kidnapping, as for the other charges I'm sure they'll agree that your half assed attempt of trying to bring down the mafia bosses was driven by your greed and incompetence"

Carlos turned and taking my hand nodded to Lester so that we all left together, once outside I breathed a sigh of relief, I felt no compassion for Morelli, he made his own grave with what he'd done and I felt that justice was needed for the way he'd treated Terry, she wasn't to blame for the ill feeling I had felt for her, it was all down to Morelli and how he'd used both of us.

"Santos, I want the last part of the conversation wiping from the tape and from your brain"  
"Can I say one thing before I do that?"  
He came up to me and wrapped his arms around me, whispering in my ear.

"I am so pleased for the two of you, well three of you, he needed you so badly it just took a while for that to get through his thick skull. Congratulations Beautiful"

"Santos"

"Okay I've said my one thing"

He looked at me with a grin on his face and then drew his hand across his mouth and pretended to hand something to me, Carlos hadn't a clue what he was doing but I did, it was something my Grandmother would have done, zipped her mouth closed but instead of throwing away the key Lester had given it to me. We all got onto the lift together but both Lester and Carlos got off at five.

"Babe I need to get Tank to contact the FBI to come over and pick up Morelli and the tape up, I'll be up soon"


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The next two days dragged along with me ending up working on searches in the morning and napping in the afternoon. Bobby had made it clear to me that Carlos's back was still healing so under no circumstances was I to do anything that would put any stress or strain on it, when I'd responded with "So no sex?" He'd been so embarrassed he'd growled a yes and disappeared. That meant that most nights as I needed to use the bathroom I would curl up on the couch to finish sleeping, dam my hormones, I was so frustrated I couldn't finish sleeping being in the same bed as Carlos. Even Carlos appreciated that move but I declined his offer to sleep on the couch, after all it was too small for him and the sooner Bobby gave him the all clear the happier we would both be.

I was down on five sat at my desk doing searches and bored to hell, I was feeling restless and hemmed in. We'd heard through Hector that Rita was ready to meet with the five bosses but she'd pick them off one by one, the information from James was with Jay and Hector and they now felt confident that Carrigan just didn't have the brains and technical savvy to move the technology further forward and when I thought about it I realized that was probably why he was just a technician at the university where his brother was the brains doing the degree. The problem was that Carrigan had once again disappeared without a trace and there were no sightings of Casper around town, maybe if he were caught as the FTA he was he might get a chance to break away from his father and I'm sure Rita would help him. I was just shutting down the computer when a call came through on my phone, dam it was from an unknown number but maybe something had happened to Val or the girls. I answered being very wary of what I said.

"Hello"  
"Steph its Mooch here"  
"What's wrong?"  
"Look you have to go get Bob"  
"Why, can't you do that?"  
"I don't have a key and when I go near a window or door he goes nuts barking"  
"Has he been in the house on his own all this time?"  
"Seems so, Joe was supposed to leave me a key but he didn't"

"So why you calling me?"  
"He knows you and you have a key"  
"I'm not looking after him"  
"That's okay, just drop him and all his stuff off at my house"  
"Okay"

I walked down the corridor and knocked as I went into Carlos's office.

"What's up Babe?"  
"Mooch called, Bob is locked inside Morelli's house and is going nuts"  
"You want me to send someone over for him?"  
"He'd attack them, I need to go, he knows me and I have a key"  
"What are you planning to do with Bob?"  
"Drop him off with Mooch"  
"Babe I'm not sure I like the idea"

"Oh come on, at least I'll get out of here even if it is only for an hour"

I could see him going through all kinds of scenarios but in the end I knew I'd won when he let out a sigh.

"I have to meet with clients in fifteen minutes here with Tank"  
"So I'll take a couple of guys with me, and a vest, and a gun and even the watch, please"

"Okay then, I'll ask Ram and Cal to go with you, Hector is with Rita this morning so Jay can keep an eye on your tracker"

"Thank you, you know I feel like a kid being allowed out to play after being grounded"

"Go before I change my mind and be careful"

I rushed upstairs to change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt; the Kevlar vest went on next with a gun in the holster attached to it, followed by a light jacket that covered everything up. Cat boots were next and for some reason I slipped one of Carlos's knives down the side, hell he was making me paranoid now. I had my watch on me and I checked my bag to find Morelli's key on the ring with my apartment keys I found some cold meat in the fridge so I was ready to go. I found Ram and Cal in the garage so as soon as I was in the back and buckled in we left the garage heading for Morelli's house. It felt strange to be driving through the Burg, hell it seemed forever since I was here, and as we approached Morelli's house I remembered the last time I'd been here, well parked on the road up the street, and he'd closed up the house to get in that red BMW with Terry. So much had happened since then and I was so busy reminiscing that I hadn't noticed that we'd stopped and Ram was holding the door open for me.

"You okay Steph?"  
"Yeah, sorry"  
I got out of the car and brought out the keys and went to the door to open it, I felt Ram behind me as though he intended to go in first.

"I know you want to check the place out but Bob will maul you, I need to go in first so that he calms down"  
"Okay, Cal's gone round the back, so just let me stay close to you"  
As the key went in the door I could hear Bob barking, hell had he been here all this time on his own, he must be starving, so with the meat in front of me I opened the door and walked in ready to be bowled over. As I carefully inched the door open Bob didn't appear, strange, I could hear him so where was he?"

"The door to the lounge and kitchen's closed, he must be in there"  
Strange because Morelli gave Bob free run of the house and why had Mooch been so worried about breaking down the door? As I opened the door to the lounge Bob did a run at me but when he went right passed me I turned around and instead of Ram being stood behind me he was flat on his back unconscious, and it wasn't because of Bob. Stood in the hallway was Carrigan holding a large bone for Bob, and Bob the traitor was sat waiting for his treat.

"Ah Miss Plum so nice to see you have a soft spot for the dog, though he seems to be as stupid as Morelli was, only loyal to the one who feeds him"  
He opened the door to the front room and threw the bone through the door which of course Bob followed and was immediately locked in. I took that moment to hit the button on my watch praying there were no jammers blocking the signal. I stood facing Carrigan wondering what the hell he planned to do next.

"You are a very difficult person to get rid of Miss Plum"  
"Why would you want to do that?"  
"The trouble you have caused me, I thought that man Ranger was bad enough, but you, you kept turning up at my drop points and then you destroyed my nieces chances with the man she loved, and now you are here and interfering again, I can't allow you to do any more to stop my plans"  
"I'm not doing anything, I just came here to get Bob"  
"Yeah right, do you think I would believe that?"  
"But it's true, Morelli's cousin asked me to get Bob"  
"No, how you knew I was here I have no idea but I assure you I won't let you find me again"  
Shit did that mean I'd literally stumbled across him?  
"You mean you've been staying here?"  
"Yes, it seemed to be the ideal place, Morelli has disappeared so who would think to look here"

Okay I needed to stall him, surely help was on the way and where the hell was Cal; he was supposed to be at the back door.

"So shall I make a coffee then you can at least tell me what the hell is going on"  
"Tell you, you already know"

"Not really, I just seem to get caught up with things"  
"Don't lie to me, you scheming bitch"

I stepped back as he raised his voice at me, why did he seem to think I knew more? I half turned to try to open the door to the kitchen when he grabbed hold of my arm and for some reason I can only put down to instinct my other hand went to cover my stomach, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Carrigan.

"Carrying a child are you, interesting, I need an heir to my empire maybe I can take yours like I took that son from that wife of mine"

"Don't you already have a son with you?"  
"Him, he's just like his mother was, soft and bothersome, he didn't like some of the things I'd planned"  
"I really don't know anything about that"  
"You're lying again, I know what you're doing, trying to take my money and turning men against me, well I won't let you"

So Rita had started to exact her revenge and it seemed her plan was working, the only problem was that Carrigan thought it was me behind it.

"Why would you even think it's me?"  
"Because I know it's a woman, everyone refers to her and it's she says this and she says that, what the hell is the world coming to when men follow a woman, they're only good for one thing, looking pretty and bearing children"

Okay now I was beginning to panic, where the hell was the cavalry, they should be here by now.

"Oh you think someone will come in here and rescue you?"  
"Well I was hoping for that"  
"Not if they know what's in here, and isn't it fortunate that I set it all up, just in case someone thought they could come snooping around"

"Set what up?"  
"The house is rigged to blow all I have to do is make a call, good old fashioned trigger devises, not that high tech crap of James's"  
"He was the brains behind it wasn't he?"  
"I told him we had a government contract to make it happen, then he went and died before he'd finished"  
"So none of his devises work?"  
"I used them all in the warehouse at Bordertown"  
"And you don't know how to make them"

I didn't see it coming, I mean I hadn't been trying to upset him by being sarcastic, it just came out and so did his hand as it backhanded my face. I fell to the ground, lent against the door, I didn't know how to get out of this, I mean how do you talk down a mad man?

"How about we work together?"  
"I don't need you, once this house blows with you inside I'll get what I want"


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51  
"Carry, Carry, Carry, why on earth do you think I'll let that happen?"  
We both looked on the stairs to see Rita walking down, holding a revolver in front of her, of course. She was dressed in a dark red suit and with her styled and the mask matching the makeup on her face she looked strong and powerful.

"Rita, it can't be you?"

That Carrigan recognized her surprised me, but then again he'd remember her looks from before the accident, but even he was staring at her.  
"Why not Carry, because you thought I was dead"  
"But they said you wouldn't survive"  
"So you abandoned me and left me to die"

"No, I loved you"  
"Oh Carry, cut the crap. I wasn't pretty any more and you took our child and left"

"But how?"  
"How indeed, maybe what you did sowed the seed that I grew over the years and now I feel in full bloom"  
"What have you done Rita?"

I could hear him falter as he said it, he was worried, he was beginning to realize just how good she was.  
"Only taking back my life"  
"Her, is she working with you?"  
"No Carry, and I won't allow you to hurt her"

As she walked down the next step coming closer to Carrigan she raised the gun and pointed it at him, he raised his hands as if to ward her off and then I heard it, I jolted at the sound of two gunshots and slunk down on the floor, oh god, please no, please let Rita be all right.

I felt arms pulling me up and being carried, I knew those arms, the smell that engulfed me.

"You can't carry me, your back, you'll hurt your back"  
"No way am I putting you down"  
"Then open that door and get Bob out"  
"Santos get Ram out, then take the dog to Mooch's house"  
I watched behind me so relieved when I saw Rita follow us out but why the hell was she messing around with her phone, surely this wasn't the time to call someone, was it? As we reached the cars she seemed to press the button but didn't put it to her ear, oh shit, was that the phone Carrigan had in his hand? I didn't have time to ask because the next thing I heard was an almighty roar as an explosion ripped through the air. Debris began to fly out and my ears went funny as the rush of air passed me by, Carlos had me behind a car wrapped tight into him, even if I wanted to see what had happened I couldn't as my head was being firmly held against his chest. There was a lot of noise from things falling from the sky and men shouting to stay clear of the house. As the noise subsided I could hear the inevitable roar of a fire, so sue me, I know the life cycle of an explosion.

"You okay?"  
"Yes, was anyone hurt?"  
"I don't think so"  
"Rita, is she all right?"  
"Yes, she's with Hector behind her car"

"Cal?"

"He's fine, he was coming back through the back lane to see what had happened to you"

The next noise was the inevitable sound of fire engines and police so as they pulled up I moved to peek over the hood of the car.

"Holy shit, the whole house has gone"

"It wasn't my fault"

I turned to Carlos, I don't why I said it, maybe it was just a reactive response but as soon as I said it and saw Carlos smile back at me I clamped my hand over my mouth.

How the hell that had happened was beyond me, maybe because of where Carrigan had placed the explosives, but the whole front wall was now laid onto the front yard and there was no sign of a back wall. Fortunately the houses belonging to the neighbors seemed intact but there was only ruble and fire left where Morelli's house had been.

"What do I tell the police"  
"That you came to get Bob and there was a mad man in the house"  
"And?"  
"You did what you always do, got away from him and ran out with Bob"  
"Rita?"  
"She was never here"  
I looked over to Hector's car and realized it was leaving, but I'm sure Rita winked at me as it moved into the distance.

"You know what happened don't you"  
"No Babe, Rita insisted on going in by herself"  
"She climbed up to go through the window?"  
"Well no, the men found a ladder and helped her. Babe she insisted, she wouldn't let me go in with her"  
"She have her bag with her?"  
"Yeah, she was pretty insistent about that"

"So the explosion, how will that be explained?"  
"Let's hope they put it down to a gas leak, you smelt gas right?"  
"Right"

I allowed myself to be guided toward Eddie, good at least Eddie wouldn't give me a hard time. I recited my lines as Carlos had told me and was surprised when we were allowed to leave, apparently Eddie thought it was a squatter in the house so they might never know who he was and that maybe the phone in his hand had been what had caused the gas to ignite. Who says fairy stories don't exist in real life!


	52. Chapter 52

_I'd like to say a big thank you to all of you who have left reviews, I really appreciate that what I write can be shared with others and that you enjoy following my stories. Reading is a pleasure that needs to be cherished so I am now taking a small vacation and have downloaded some of the stories from other writers to enjoy. If I haven't responded to each of you I apologise for that but know that your reviews are important to me. I'll be back soon enough, another book is in the making but I won't publish until it is complete. Take care._

Chapter 52

I felt so strange when we got home, like I was waiting for something to happen, I suppose I'd spent so long trying to solve the mystery of Carrigan that I didn't know what to do. And as usual Carlos noticed by the way I was behaving.

"Babe we need to go somewhere and relax"  
"I just feel, I don't know, half the time I'm waiting for something to happen and the other half I don't know what to do"  
"It happens after stressful situations"  
"How's that?"  
"After a mission I had to find a way to decompress"  
"Yeah but you'd just got back from a war zone or worse"  
"Babe, you've been drugged, kidnapped, blown up, attacked and have just been where a house blew up"

"But"  
"No buts, we're going away"

"When?"  
"Day after tomorrow, tomorrow we need to wrap this case up and archive it"  
"Where to?"  
"It's a surprise"  
"I don't know if I like surprises"  
"You'll like this one"  
"Okay, okay, but you make sure Bobby gives you the all clear"  
"Oh he will"

"Well I'll need to know what to pack"

"All sorted, Ella has a bag already packed ready to go"  
"So I can't sneak a look and make a guess?"  
"No"

I snuggled up to him on the bed, I loved it when he held me, made me feel so loved and wanted. Then I had the strangest thought and began to laugh"  
"Babe?"  
"I was just thinking of what Morelli will think when he knows his house blew up"  
"I don't think that will be a top priority for him where he's at"  
"The FBI charged him?"  
"Yes, but they are letting him serve time in a minimum security prison"  
"I don't know whether to feel good about that or not"  
"So don't think about it at all"  
"Okay"  
I yawned loudly, hell it had been a long day and I never did get a nap after lunch. I know I must have fallen asleep quickly because I couldn't remember any more conversation and for once I actually slept through till morning. It was all systems go when I got up, I had my peppermint tea and crackers, which Carlos brought through for me and then once showered and dressed we went down to the conference room to sort out and file all the information we'd collected.

"What happens to all of this?"  
"Some will go to the FBI, the parts that involved Morelli and Terry. Anything on Clarissa and his sister will go to Mason and Lansky, the rest we archive here at Rangeman"  
"So what about the men Carrigan had working for him?"

"Rita is dealing with that, some have disappeared back to where they came from others have sworn allegiance to her and her new role"  
"Do you know how the bosses have taken to her?"  
"They like her and how she works, maybe Grizoli is the least convinced, but then he'll remember her from years ago. She'll manage him and Ramos, well let's just say he's besotted with her"  
"I'm glad it all worked out so well, even if Carrigan nearly blew me up again"  
"So am I, how you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time I will never understand"

It took longer than I thought to sort everything into boxes and when I came to go get something for lunch I was surprised at how quiet it was, maybe with everyone working so hard Tank had given them some time off, but come to think of it even Tank was missing.

"What's wrong Steph?"  
"Oh hi Jay, it just feels so quiet around here"  
"I think Tank has teams out doing installations, the usual teams are on surveillance and I'm sure some men were due some time off"  
"Yeah I suppose I forgot how quiet it could be around here"  
"You okay after yesterday?"  
"Yeah, it was quite nostalgic watching somewhere blow up"  
"Why would you say that?"  
"You haven't heard of all my explosions?"  
"No, I don't listen to gossip"  
"Oh well, maybe one evening I'll fill you in"  
"Jay, and yes she did blow up my Porsche Boxster"

I turned to see Carlos stood watching us, maybe I'd need more than an evening to fill Jay in but for now I was going to head upstairs and sleep, I would need all of my energy for where ever we were going tomorrow.

I couldn't believe that Carlos was waking me so early, I still felt tired and maybe a little grouchy but couldn't help but smile at the way he'd woken me. Light kisses all over my face and my morning tea and crackers. He just about pushed me into the shower and had clothes out for me when I went into the bedroom, soft linen trousers in deep burgundy and a white T-shirt, certainly not enough to tell me where we were going. As I came into the kitchen I was surprised to see him dressed in light blue jeans and a cream T-shirt. Wow he looked good and I know I licked my lips just watching him as he reached for a plate.

"Babe, get your head out of the gutter. You have five minutes before we leave"

Another trip to the bathroom, my handbag on my shoulder and we were on our way. I couldn't even figure out where we were going at the airport because we didn't go commercial, in fact Jay was piloting a small jet and even he wouldn't say where we were going, I still didn't like to fly but Jay let me sit with him up front and as I watched the ground disappear below us I felt a sense of awe come over me, I liked it being able to see where we were going, the clouds and the landscape. I knew we were headed south and I knew it was a long way but for once was totally confused as we landed on the mainland of some country I didn't know. Carlos was being real quiet, yeah even for him, and he simply took my hand and led me to a parked car. With our luggage in the trunk we headed out, but not into the city, we seemed to be travelling up the coast and as we turned into a drive it wasn't to a hotel, it was the most beautiful house I'd ever seen, it looked like it belonged in an historical novel. It felt hot when I got out of the car and as Carlos walked me up the steps the door opened for us, I must be dreaming, because stood there smiling at me was my mother, surely Carlos didn't think I would relax with my mother did he?  
"Stephanie, you look lovely, come on we have lots to do and not much time"  
What the hell was she talking about? I didn't get a chance to ask or even look around before I was dragged upstairs and into a large suite of rooms.  
"Mum, what"

"Steph you need to shower honey and then Eula can do your hair"  
"Lou, what, why are you here?"  
"For you honey, now go on, go shower"  
I did as I was told, my head trying to work out what the hell Lou was doing here and Eula, since when did she do some ones hair? I came out wrapped in a towel and stared around the room, how had that happened, I mean I was still trying to tell myself I was dreaming or hallucinating, but now?

"Baby Girl you got your man, I always said he was the one for you"  
As I looked around the room I met the eyes of Connie, Val, Ella, Lou, Eula and finally my mother and I suddenly had this crazy idea. He hadn't had he, no he couldn't have, surely there wasn't enough time, was there?

As I stood in front of the full length mirror I marveled how well Ella knew me, even though my mother muttered at the choice, I didn't care what she thought, looking back at me was like seeing someone I didn't recognize. The dress was simple and clung to my waist and hips before falling to the floor, The neckline dipped low at the front and was edged in lace with thin straps going over my shoulder and crossing over my back to join the skirt at the waist. Thank heavens it had a built in bra. Eula had done magic with my hair, she'd been able to bring back my curls, okay so she put a very mild perm through it, just enough to curl and promised me it wouldn't go frizzy, so now with one side held back with flowers to match the cream of my dress the rest was falling to my shoulders. Lou had been in charge of make up and she'd insisted on a natural look which seeing it now I loved. My Grandma had provided the nail polish for my fingers and toes while Connie had applied it. I saw my mother behind me, smiling at my reflection.

"You look beautiful Stephanie and so happy"  
"I am Mum"  
"Good, he sure has provided an amazing place for this to happen and to get us all here must have taken hours to organize"  
"You're not on the cruise ship?"  
"Yes, it's here till later tonight so we'll rejoin it later"

"Thanks Mum"  
"For what?"  
"Putting up with me"  
"I know we had our ups and downs but I love you very much and only ever want the best for you"  
I picked up the bouquet of flowers and turned to go out of the door.

"Let me go first, your father's here to take you down"

As we stepped from the room my eyes fell on my Dad, all dressed up in a suit and for the first time in forever he looked happy, his face was toned from the sun and I'm sure there was a twinkle in his eye. He held his elbow out for me to loop my arm through

"You look beautiful Pumpkin"  
"Thanks Dad, you enjoying the vacation?"  
"Yes, I feel like a new man, your mother and I have grown closer"  
I didn't want to know any more, sheesh; this was my parents we were talking about.

Once again I was so intent on where we were going I didn't look around and once outside all I could see was the face of the man I loved, was I crying as I walked toward him, probably, but I felt so happy and allowed him to wipe them away with his thumbs before we turned to face the man in front of us.

The service was simple but just how I wanted it to be, I had my friends around me, those who truly loved me, no wonder Rangeman was so quiet, most of them were here. After an amazing meal I said goodbye to my parents who left to rejoin their cruise ship and then watched as everyone else formed two lines down the beach to the waters edge. There tied up was a sleek black speed boat.

"Carlos where exactly are we?"  
"Belize"  
"The boat?"

"I had some work done out at the island"  
"We're going to the island?"

"Yes, I thought you'd enjoy a honeymoon there"

Now that I could cope with, I'd loved the atmosphere there and it was a beautiful place for us to spend our time together alone, and all I could think of was that beach and how it was now a very special place for us.

Epilogue

"No, no one else"  
"Just one last visitor Babe and then you can rest"  
"Who's left to come, I mean it's been a steady stream since yesterday"  
"I know, but how was I supposed to stop people from wanting to see you both"  
I knew he was right, and I couldn't really complain because through out the time if I'd needed to sleep they'd let me and I couldn't get over the presents they'd brought. As I looked over the side of the bed the door opened and of course Carlos was there immediately, in full protection mode. As the door opened further I was so pleased to see who was there. Rita, I hadn't seen her since the day Morelli's house had exploded.

"Stephanie you look well, but you know I'm not here to see you. May I?"  
I nodded my head and watched as she bent over and lifted my precious bundle from his crib.

"I said you two would have a beautiful child, he's adorable, have you decided on a name yet?"  
I looked over at Carlos who smiled back, yeah we'd had that discussion so many times but in my own mind I knew what the answer was.

"Elija Carlos Manoso"  
"Perfect, I can see both of you in him and he seems so content"  
"Yeah well he can certainly makes himself heard when he needs a feed"  
"And you Stephanie, how are you feeling?"  
"Tired but so relived he's eventually here"

Carlos came and sat next to me on the bed, taking my hand in his.  
"I think he may get his love of food from Steph"  
"How are you Rita, you look amazing"  
"I'm well, I was pleased with the last treatment and I don't wear a mask any more"  
"They did a wonderful job Rita, I'm just sorry you had to wait so long for it to happen"  
"That doesn't matter, I still remember the day you first came to see me and in a way I realized I was hiding behind the scars, now though I have a new lease of life"  
"Casper?"  
"We found him eventually, that poor boy, my lawyer sorted out the charges and he's looking at his life, what he could do, what he wants to do. We talk regularly but we both know that the bond we should have still has to be developed. His father did a lot of damage to his confidence so day by day he is becoming the man I am proud of"  
"I'm glad that it's working out for you both"  
"I must go, I have a business meeting tonight. Thank you for believing in me and giving me a chance to live my life, if you ever need anything just call"

I was so pleased that Rita had been to see us and that she'd found her niche, even if it were as the matriarch of the Trenton bosses. I turned to Carlos who was now cradling our son watching as he played with his small hand.

"So Elija?"

"So, I liked the name you chose"

I felt so happy, I had everything my heart could desire, a son and husband that I loved so much, a house that was safe enough for Carlos to let down his guard. I had work to do when Elija was older, yeah, we now had a bonds office at Rangeman which I managed, though having Connie was the icing on the cake. I knew I could tolerate being home on my own, maybe cooking was still out of my reach but I was learning, who would have thought that Eula would be so much like Ella and she could make the simplest meal taste so good. I'm sure Ella was a tad jealous but we sometimes stayed at Rangeman to make up for it. It had been a tumultuous time to get here but as I held Elija with Carlos holding me I knew everything would be magical.


End file.
